


Halfway Gone

by thestanceyg



Category: Criminal Minds, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-02 23:32:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8687881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: A lives in an apartment and as A is taking the trash out, A notices B who is kneeling outside a door and trying to pick the lock. A can’t remember if they’ve seen B around before, so they can’t be sure if B forgot their keys or if B is a burglar. A hesitantly says, “If you’re locked out, you could call the super.”





	1. Stairs of Destiny

It had been a long day of internship for Darcy and she was tired.  Deep in her bones, stretching out through her hair, aura of exhaustion; tired.  She had thought that working on Capitol Hill was what she wanted, but she was rapidly rethinking that.  She didn't really know anyone here (everyone in her internship was wound too tight or just a jerk), and she was missing Jane like crazy.  She had been so certain that policy and lawmaking was the right place for her (especially after some interesting first contacts with beings from other realms), but it looked like she was wrong.  She didn't love the red tape and back room deals.  She loved the ideal of how the system should work, not the reality.  Plus, being a woman in this world meant constantly doing more to be respected less.  The number of bros that would talk over her and appropriate her own, personal experiences with space made her want to tweeze all their eyebrows until nothing was left.

It was with this level of aching exhaustion that she trudged up the stairs of her building to the small apartment.  Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and some strands were stuck under the strap of her bag, pulling individual hairs hard enough to provide sharp pin like pains, but not enough to yank them out completely.  Her stockings had little flicks of dirty water up the back from when it had started to rain a block away from home.  (There had been no rain in the forecast, and she was none too pleased about this development.)  She felt like a soggy dog.

On the stairs she passed a woman with purples glasses and fuzzy barrettes in her hair.  She had perfectly curled hair and some seriously awesome heels.  “I like your shoes,” she called to the woman as they passed, barely able to turn her abused head to look at the woman as she said it.  She could feel the pinpricks of a headache trying to bloom.

“Thanks!” the woman bubbled, looking up at her.  “Oh my God, are you okay?” she asked when she really took in Darcy.  She must look more miserable than she thought.

“It’s just been a day of patriarchal bullshit,” Darcy sighed, trying to ease the furrow between her brows that was trying to make a permanent valley there.

“Looks like it really got you down,” the woman said, turning to head back up the stairs.  “Let me help you to your door.  I would hate for someone with such good taste in shoes to collapse in the hallway.”

“Thanks,” Darcy said with her first real smile of the day as the woman joined her heading up the stairs.  “I’m Darcy by the way.”

“Penelope.  Pleasure to meet you.”

“Do you live here?” Darcy asked, wondering if she finally had met a possible friend.  She hadn’t really seen either of her neighbors, but she wasn’t sure she was so lucky that Penelope was one of them.

“No,” she said shaking her head as they came to the landing.  “My friend does.”

“Ah,” Darcy said.  “I knew it was too good to be true.”  Penelope laughed as they walked down the hall to her door.

“You live here?” Penelope asked, looking Darcy over with eyes she didn’t understand.

“Yeah?”

“Huh,” was all she said.  “Good to know.”

“Oh?”  Darcy said, hoping Penelope would elaborate so she could identify the look she had given her a moment ago.

“It’ll be easy to find you again.  You know, on a day when the man isn’t getting you down.  Or, maybe a day when he is and you need someone to drink with and yell at the world.”

“I’d like that,” Darcy said as she unlocked her door.  “Thanks Penelope.  You’ve been the one bright spot on my otherwise terrible day.”  She opened the door and stepped in.  “Wanna come in?  I have a bottle of wine that seems to need my attention.”

“I’d love to, but I actually have to get home.  I have a support group I run that starts in a little over an hour.”

“Good shoes and a kind heart?  You’re the best person I’ve met in the three months I’ve been here.”

“Where’d you come from?” Penelope asked as she stepped into the somewhat bare apartment, following Darcy.

“New York, before that London, and before that New Mexico.”

“Quite the travel list.”

“I know,” Darcy said pulling a business card from her purse and scribbling on the back.  “Here’s my number.  We should get together sometime. I don’t want to keep you even though I’d love to talk your night away.”

“I totally agree,” she said plucking the card from Darcy’s fingers.  “Now drink some wine and get some rest.  You absolutely need it.”

“Thanks for seeing me to my door.”

“Anytime.”  Penelope left, closing Darcy’s door.  She listened to Penelope’s heels clicking until she couldn’t hear them anymore.  She sighed and looked around her apartment.  Hot bath and wine would be a good start.  After all, she had to do it all again tomorrow.

***

Penelope made her way down the stairs, her mind whirring with all she had learned.  She had been watering Reid’s plants while he was visiting his mother, a task that would be done tomorrow, and she couldn’t believe her luck.  He had told her over a month ago about the cute girl that had moved in down the hall, and now she had met her.  Reid might spew facts left and right in the field, but that was because he was well read, and he didn’t just read non-fiction.  He had read all of the classics and then some, so when describing his new neighbor, it had been like listening to poetry.

_“She’s like a goddess of the sun.  Light and beauty just radiate off her, and you almost have to blink to not be blinded,” he said to her while they were having coffee._

_“Are you sure she wasn’t just standing in front of a sunny window?”_

_“It was night the first time I saw her,” he chided before taking a sip of his coffee.  It was all Penelope could do to hide her smile behind her own mug as he went on.  “She has hair that is like waves of rich brown velvet that cascade down her shoulders.”_

_“So what’s her name?”_

_Spencer blushed a deep red.  “I don’t know.  I’ve only seen her a handful of times in the hall.”_

_“So all you know is that she’s gorgeous?”_

_“That’s not all I know,” he practically pouted.  “She subscribes to three papers and seven magazines, so she must be well read.”_

_“How do you know that?”_

_He shrugged.  “I’ve seen her get her mail, and the papers are delivered to our doors in my building.”_

_“Okay, so gorgeous and potentially well read.  What else ya got?”_

_“Nothing else,” he admitted._

_“But you want to.”_

_“Maybe,” he said with a far-off look in his eyes._

_“Why wouldn’t you want to?”_

_“I’m me?”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_

_“Our job is kind of crazy.  Even Morgan has difficulty dating, and he looks like, well, Morgan.”_

_“You know there’s more to dating than looks, right?”_

_“Of course, but they certainly don’t hurt.”_

_“Spencer Reid,” Penelope said, suddenly catching on.  “You don’t think you’re good enough for a girl you don’t even really know.”_

_“If you saw her, you’d understand.  You can look at her and tell that she’s lived a full and interesting life, that she’s the person everyone wants to talk to at a party.  That’s not exactly true of me.”_

_“You have lead a very interesting life, boy genius that catches serial killers for a living!”_

_Spencer didn’t respond.  Instead he looked into his coffee cup.  Penelope wondered who had hurt him in the past to make him feel this way.  She knew there had been girlfriends before, so someone had made him think he wasn’t enough.  She might have to use her considerable skills to get a little revenge on his behalf._

Penelope walked out of the building and thought about how Reid had described the girl in the hall.  Darcy was clearly having a bad day, but it wasn’t hard to see that what Spencer had said about her had merit.  Even with the weight of a million assholes hanging on her, she had been radiant as promised.  She was also incredibly friendly, a quality that Penelope highly valued and imagined Reid would too.  Besides, she couldn't imagine Reid with someone that was a flat out bitch or an ice queen.  He needed someone warm and gregarious that would pull him out of his shell; someone that would let him be himself and not judge him for it. She'd have to spend more time with her, but Darcy just might be that person.  It's hard to say for certain after such a short interaction, but she just had a feeling about the woman. She dropped Darcy's card into her bag.  She'd text her tomorrow and see if she wanted to get together sometime soon for a drink.


	2. Sad Reid Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid figures something out, and Penelope forces him to share.

Spencer lumbered up the stairs toward his apartment.  It had been a long trip back to DC, or maybe it just felt long because he tended to feel guilty when leaving his mom.  He knew she was in the right place for her, but he still worried that he had somehow abandoned her when she needed him.  He dropped his suitcase on the floor outside his door as he searched for his key in his leather messenger bag.  He was certain it was in there, but it had probably sunk to the bottom.  His head was practically inside his bag when he heard music start playing in the apartment two down from his.  His head snapped up as he strained to listen, wondering just what his mysterious, beautiful neighbor was listening to.  It sounded like the Andrew Sisters.  Interesting choice.  He stood like that, head cocked to the side for two full minutes before the song changed and he realized just how strange his listening was and went back to looking for his key.  He found it, unlocked his door, and went inside, almost sorry to be leaving the hall where he could listen to what she was listening to.  He shook his head and decided he was a creep for thinking such things.  He didn’t even know her name.  He was definitely in way too far with this crush.  He needed to take care of that.

Two hours later, he ran down to the lobby to grab his mail.  On the way back up, he heard voices in the hall.  She was standing outside her door with a tall, muscular blonde man.  He felt his heart stutter as she smiled and hugged the man who kissed her on the cheek.  Of course she had a boyfriend, and of course he looked like that.  He suddenly felt very self-conscious and couldn’t get back into his apartment fast enough.  His hands shook a little as he tried to put the key in the lock, and he knew it was just his luck that instead of opening his door, he dropped his key.  But it didn’t just drop.  Oh no.  It had to skid across the hall and end halfway between him and the happy couple.  The man had already turned to leave, saw the key, and crouched down to pick it up.

“I think you dropped this,” he said in a voice that was sincere.  Of course it was.  She wouldn’t suffer an asshole.  She looked like the kind of girl that would physically and mentally tear down a man that was anything less than a gentleman. Thus the perfect specimen before him.

Spencer took the key from him.  “Thanks,” he said, taking in the man’s face.  He had all-American good looks, not a single pimple or crooked tooth to console Spencer.  He turned and this time was able to jab the key into the lock successfully.  The man was already on his way down the stairs, and the woman was already back inside her own apartment, door closed.  Spencer rested his head against the cool wood of the door for a moment, wondering if his face was as red as he imagined it to be.  He pushed open the door and did his best not to slam it, throwing his mail on an end table and slumping into a chair.

He wasn’t sure why, exactly, he was throwing himself a pity party, just that he was.  It just felt right.  He didn’t know her name, her favorite color, if she had any pets, or even where she worked, but he was gone on her.  Stupid, stupid emotions.  How do you fall in love with someone you know nothing about?  He sighed.  At least now he knew she was unavailable.  Maybe that would help him find a way out of this strange labyrinth like crush.

Two days later, Penelope caught him alone in the breakroom.

“Ok, spill,” she said leaning against the counter as she sipped her steaming mug.

“Spill what?  The coffee?” he asked, jiggling the pot a little and trying to distract her with an admittedly lame joke.

“No, not the coffee.  You.  Your guts.  What’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, his stomach giving an unpleasant lurch that suddenly made him afraid he might spill his guts in a different way.

“You have sad Reid face.  What’s going on?  Did something happen with your mom?”

“No, no.  My mom’s fine.  It’s nothing.  Well, nothing serious anyway.  It’s actually pretty ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous happens to be my specialty,” she said with a wink.  “Come on back to my lair and we can talk where it’s nice and quiet.” Spencer thought about protesting, but maybe saying it out loud would help take care of this once and for all.  Besides, he couldn’t deny that Garcia was an excellent confidant.  So instead of putting up a fight, he followed her back to her office where she shut the door and took a seat in her chair, hand waving over the other chair.  “Okay, so what’s making you sad?” she asked once he was seated.  “Because your sad face is killing me and I really want to make it stop.  It’s like seeing a crying, wet kitten.”

“I told you it was silly,”

“Ridiculous,” she interrupted.  “You said it was ridiculous and I told you I wanted to know anyway.  So stop trying to talk your way out of telling me.”

Spencer took a deep breath before saying, “Remember the girl I told you about a month or so ago?”

“The sun goddess?  Yeah, I remember her.”

“A few days ago I found out she has a boyfriend.”

Penelope was quiet for a moment before she said, “Okay, how do you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“You must have evidence if you’re so sure that it’s making you sad.”

“I saw him.  In the hallway when he was leaving.  She gave him a hug and he kissed her on the cheek.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’?  And he was huge, bigger than Morgan, and I absolutely cannot compete with him.”

“A hug and a kiss on the cheek doesn’t sound very romantic to me.  Don’t most couples kiss on the mouth, even if it’s just a peck?  And don’t think I didn’t hear you putting yourself down there.”

“Well…”

“And if he’s as tall, dark, and handsome as you’re implying, if I was her I’d be all over that, even just saying goodbye.”

“Not dark.  Blonde.”

“Tall, blonde, and handsome.  Whatever,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.  “It sounds like they  _ could _ be a thing, but they also might not be.  I think you’re jumping to conclusions.”

“But…”

“No buts.  I want you to collect more evidence.  See if you can substantiate that hunch you have.  If they’re really together, there should be more clues.  Think like a profiler and not a man besotted.”

“Besotted?”

“Yes.  Shut up.  Seriously, though.  Just look before you leap to conclusions.”

“You really don’t think that’s evidence enough?”

“I really don’t.  See, I happen to know a lot of women that would give that exact goodbye to friends, myself included, so I need something else to think she’s taken.”

“Okay then.  So that’s settled.”

“Are you still going to have sad face?”

“I didn’t know I had it to begin with, so I don’t know.”

“Well, I hope it goes away because soon I won’t be the only one that notices, and you probably don’t want the rest of the team butting in like that.”

“Very true,’ he said standing up.  ‘Thanks Penelope.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to work?”

“Not until we take care of the small issue of you saying you couldn’t compete with Beefy McHunk.”

“Well I can’t.”

“Says who?  First of all, looks aren’t everything.  Being a good person can absolutely trump being hot.  Hotness fades, being a jerk usually doesn’t.  Besides, not everyone is into the gym-rat look.  You’ve had girlfriends before, and they certainly liked how you looked.  Don’t assume you know what she likes.”

“I guess….”

“Not ‘I guess.’  It’s true.  Stop selling yourself short.”

He smiled a bit sheepishly.  “Thanks Garcia.”

“Anytime.  Let me know if you find more evidence.”

“Will do,” he said with a small laugh as he left the office.

*** 

Once Reid left the room, Penelope waited a full, agonizing minute before she pulled out her phone.  Time to get to work.

_ Hey Darcy!  It’s Penelope.  From the hallway? _

**Hey Penelope!!**

**How’s it going?**

_ Another day of government work. _

**You too?**

**Sucks.**

_ You’re not wrong. _

**Wanna grab a drink tonight?  If you’re not busy, that is?**

_ I was just going to ask you the same thing. _

**Great minds think alike.**

**Where to?**

_ There’s a cute wine bar about a block from your place. _

**I know the one!**

**It was part of why I picked my apartment.**

_ What time’s good for you? _

**7?**

_ See you there! _

With that done, Penelope dropped her phone on the desktop and turned back to the search she had been running.  She was fairly certain that Darcy wasn’t seeing anyone, but now she could know for sure. Obviously she wanted Reid to be happy (and she was going to try very hard to make that happen), but if Darcy  _ was _ already involved with big, beefy, and blonde she wasn’t going to interfere with that.  (Though she would absolutely be asking for all the details because  _ damn _ the man sounded delish.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving on short notice is crazy, but we're chugging along. We signed a lease and have about 70% of our stuff packed. However, our trailer gets dropped on the 12th, picked up on the 16th, but then we don't see it again until January 4th because of the holidays. We need to rethink the items we were packing for the car since that's longer than we thought.


	3. Eyes Locked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy goes out for drinks with Penelope.

Darcy sipped her glass of wine as she waited for Penelope.  She had texted a few minutes ago that she had been caught at work and would be a few minutes late.  Darcy didn’t mind.  She had her own fair share of unexpected late nights too.  It was part of what made making friends here so hard.  You have to flake just once and a lot of people were done with you, even though they had similar jobs that would result in just as many cancelled dates.  Oh well.  The wine here was good, and so far Penelope hadn’t actually ditched, so she was happy to wait in the soft light with quiet jazz music.  Maybe being here and alone was worth it just for this place.  (It wasn’t, but a girl could dream.)

Ten minutes later, Penelope arrived, making a beeline straight for her.  “Oh my God.  I am  _ so sorry _ ,” she said passionately as she slid into the chair.  “Sometimes work is...well, work,” she said with a small shrug.

“I understand,” Darcy said as she waved over the waiter.  “Are you allowed to tell me what you do or is it classified?”

“I can tell you,” Penelope said before turning to place her order.  Darcy asked for another glass as well, this one would be done by the time he came back.   “I work for the FBI.  I’m a tech analyst.  Sometimes work pops up at unexpected times.”

“I bet.  I can’t believe you were only a few minutes late with such a busy job. The FBI sounds fascinating.  Do you like it?”

“Love it,” Penelope said emphatically.  “I get to use my crazy good computer skills to help stop serial killers and solve kidnappings.”

“I think you might be my new hero.  Seriously.  You job sounds amazing!”  Darcy wished she was helping the world.  Instead she mostly got coffee and made copies (even though that wasn’t part of her job description.  Damn was institutional sexism a bitch to overcome).

“But what about you?  What do you do?”

“I’m a Congressional intern.  I haven’t been here long, so I don’t have any cool job duties.  I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with it, though.  I came here to help people, ya know?  But instead all anyone can see is tits and suddenly nothing I say matters.”

“Ugh.  I understand.  So many people thought I couldn’t be really good at what I do because I’m a woman.  Not only am I good, I’m actually the best, and I still get doubted.”

“Even by your team?”

“No, thank goodness.  But it still sucks.”

Their glasses of wine arrived.  “I’ll drink to that,” Darcy said raising her glass a little. “To being underestimated and over qualified.”  She took a large sip of her wine.  She loved a good red at night.

“So tell me about yourself,” Penelope said after she took a sip.  “You’re new to town; how’s that going?”

“Not great,” she admitted.  “I haven’t made many friends because of my job.  None of the other interns are really my sort of people, ya know?  And forget about meeting guys.”  She blew a raspberry.  “It’s hard.  I miss my friends.  I wanted to come her to make a difference, and all I feel like I’ve made is a mistake.”

“First of all, everyone has trouble acclimating to this town.  It’s like everyone has a giant brick wall around them.  It’s super hard to meet people.  I was lucky because my team is awesome.  I genuinely want to spend time with most of them outside of work.  But second, how do you not have a boyfriend?!  Look at you!  Not even someone back home?”

“No one,” Darcy said with a shake of her head.  “There was a guy like a year ago in London, but that was over just as quickly as it started.  My life has been weird, and some of it is classified, and that makes things hard sometimes.”

“But no friends here at all?”

“Ehh.  Not really.  I’ve had friends visit when they come here for work, but no one that actually lives here anymore.  Like, a couple of days ago a friend of a friend came by.  I had met him once or twice, but we weren’t like, calling each other all the time or anything.  Anyway, he was in town for a few days doing stuff for work so he swung by.  We had pizza and caught up, but that was about it.  Like I said, it’s been hard meeting people.”

“Any chance this friend might be more than friends material?”

Darcy laughed.  “Absolutely not.  Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, but he’s just not my type.  Plus, his work is super crazy and I’m not sure he even has time to date.  What about you?”

Penelope shook her head.  “No one here right now either.  There was someone, but…well, it didn’t work.  He wanted forever and I wasn’t ready for that.”

“So he broke up with you?”

“Yup,” she said, taking a long sip of wine.

“Lame.”

She shrugged.  “It was what it was.”

“Let’s talk about something fun,” Darcy said, switching topics since their love lives were so depressing.  “I want to know where you shop.  You always have the best shoes!”

“Oh girl, let me tell you…”

Darcy spent over two hours with Penelope, laughing and talking.  When she was finally ready to walk home, her happiness couldn’t be contained.  She had made a friend!  Someone she wanted to spend more time with!  Someone who seemed to feel the same!  She practically floated up the stairs to her place.

Which is where she saw him.  Crouched outside a door a few down from hers was a man picking the door lock. He didn’t seem to have noticed her arrival, so she took a moment to examine him.  He had shaggy hair that was just long enough to tuck behind an ear momentarily before it fell back into his face.  He had long, nimble fingers that were deftly moving the tools he had.  He was wearing a cardigan that looked soft and her fingers itched to feel it.

But, he might be breaking into her neighbor’s apartment, so those thoughts needed to be put on the back burner.  “Excuse me,” she said, making him jump a little.  “If you’re locked out, you could call the super.”

He turned to look at her and her stomach did a little flip.  “I’m not locked out,” he said with an amused little smile.

“Well, if you’re not locked out, I must ask if you’re breaking in.”

“Do you think I would tell you if I was?”

“I’d like to give you that chance.”

He pulled a key out of his sweater pocket.  “Not locked out.  Just practicing.”

“You wouldn’t mind actually unlocking that door for me, would you?  You know, so I can tell it’s not just some random key to put off the persistent.”

He laid his tools down on a small swatch of leather before standing up.  He was tall and lean.  Just her type.  She swallowed as she watched his actions very closely.  She would try and tell herself it was because she needed to make sure he was actually her neighbor, but deep down she knew it was because she wanted to memorize his every movement.  He unlocked the door, pushing it open a bit after the soft click of the door giving way.  He turned back to her with upturned eyebrows, almost taunting her.

She held out her hand.  “I’m Darcy.  I live two doors down.”

“Spencer,” he said.  “Nice to finally meet you.”

“Same,” she said as she reluctantly took her hand from his.  “Hopefully I’ll see you around again.”

“Well we are basically neighbors.”

She smiled and felt the nerves creep back up into her stomach.  “Great!  Uhh, see you later!” she said, all but darting to her door.  It felt like he watched her until the door was closed behind her, but she wasn’t sure because she had been too afraid to look and see; scared she was wrong and would seem foolish.  She threw her purse on the counter and sighed.  What a night.

*** 

Penelope pulled her buzzing phone out of her purse.  The messages kept rolling in.

**OMG!!!**

**I met my neighbor tonight**

**(kinda)**

**I thought he was a burglar (long story)**

**But !!!**

**SO CUTE**

She smiled at her phone and looked at the other messages.

She talked to me

And introduced herself

Her name is Darcy.

It fits her so well

I can’t believe she talked to me

And smiled

I really hope I’m wrong about the boyfriend thing.

Penelope took off her heels and settled into her favorite chair.  She hadn’t expected them to meet this soon, but that also wasn’t a bad thing.  Darcy was single, so there were no complications there.  She knew Reid was interested (and would probably adore Darcy once he actually knew her).  So all that remained was whether or not Darcy was interested.  Based on the stream of texts she just got, the answer was yes.  Tonight just got even better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS MOVE. Sorry this wasn't posted yesterday. This move has hit the frantic portion. When I post next Monday, we will be in Indiana (though not in our place yet).


	4. See You Soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope demands details from Spencer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS. UGH. This move tried to kill me. [Here's a short version of what happened. I left out a lot, but you'll get the idea](http://thestanceyg.tumblr.com/post/154764706031/where-ive-been-and-why-i-havent-updated-stories) So that's why I didn't update as promised. Sorry everyone. It took me a while to just decompress after that, and I'm still having anxiety issues when riding in cars.

Spencer needed something to calm his mind.  He needed his hands and mind engaged so he could tune out the refrain that wouldn’t stop repeating in his head.   _Maybe she’s single.  Maybe she’s single.  Maybe she’s single._

He grabbed the small leather wrapped pouch from his desk, made sure his key was in his pocket, and went into the hall.  He locked the door and then crouched in front of it, spreading out his tools and getting to work.  He had just purchased the lock pick set, and he was excited to give it a try.  He had some great escape tricks he wanted to add to his magic act, but first he needed the skills to escape.

His head was blessedly quiet as his mind set to work on feeling for the pins and bumping them.  He was so caught up in his work that he didn’t hear someone approaching.  “Excuse me,” a woman said, making him jump a little.  “If you’re locked out, you could call the super.”

He turned to look at her and his stomach did a little flip.  It was the woman from down the hall. “I’m not locked out,” he said trying to make sure his voice didn’t crack.

“Well, if you’re not locked out, I must ask if you’re breaking in.”

He  _knew_  she had a good moral compass. “Do you think I would tell you if I was?” He asked, trying to tease a bit instead of being completely awkward.

“I’d like to give you that chance.”

He pulled a key out of his sweater pocket and showed it to her.  He hoped his hand wasn’t shaking with the thrill of having a conversation with her (even if she thought he was some sort of criminal).  “Not locked out.  Just practicing.”

She bit her lip for a moment while she looked at his key.  His eyes glued to the way her lip rolled between her teeth. “You wouldn’t mind actually unlocking that door for me, would you?  You know, so I can tell it’s not just some random key to put off the persistent.”  He snapped his eyes back to her full face and was positive he blushed before he laid his tools down on a small swatch of leather and stood up.  He unlocked the door, pushing it open a bit after the soft click of the door giving way.  He turned back to her, lifting his eyebrows as if to say, “see?”  He gave a small smile as her look of worry turned to one of satisfaction.

She held out her hand.  “I’m Darcy.  I live two doors down.”  He knew that, but he hoped it didn’t show.

“Spencer,” he said.  “Nice to finally meet you.”  And it was.  He couldn’t believe she was right here and they were talking.

“Same,” she said as she took her hand from his.  He immediately felt its loss.  “Hopefully I’ll see you around again.”  She  _hoped_  to see him again?  Was that just polite conversation or did she mean it?

“Well we are basically neighbors.”   _LAME.  Ugh, he was so lame._ She already knew that, of course!

“Great!  Uhh, see you later!” she said as she turned and took the scant few steps left to her door.  He watched as she went, trying to decide if she was trying to escape his presence or if it was just the natural end to the conversation.  Her hair swayed a bit as she walked, and as much as he wanted to see her face again, he was glad she didn’t turn and catch him staring.  Once her door was shut, he looked down at his tools resting on the supple leather.  “ _Oh well,”_ he thought, “ _I won’t be able to concentrate on that anymore.”_   He wrapped the tools in their roll and went back into his apartment.  His hand was still buzzing with the feel of her fingers wrapped with his.

“So,” Penelope said the next day at work, “tell me everything.”

“What’s there to tell?”

“What do you mean ‘what’s there to tell’? The goods!  The details!  Did you or did you not meet her last night?”

“I did,” he said dipping his head, a small smile playing at his lips that he couldn’t stop.  “But there isn’t much to tell.  I basically told you everything last night.”

“Are you kidding me?  You told me her name is Darcy and she smiled at you.  Those aren’t details, boy wonder!  Those are just two facts.  Spew your poetry at me!  Tell me about how the light bounced off her hair!  What you were doing when you met!  What happened after she introduced herself!  You are terrible at this.”

“Okay, okay,” Spencer said with a sigh (even though he wasn’t all that put out by what she was asking), “but not here.  We’ll go for coffee or lunch or something.”  He didn’t need the whole office hearing his story while wandering in for coffee.  Especially not Morgan or Rossi.  Both of them would have very firm opinions about what he should do, how he should do it, and where he had already gone wrong.

Penelope looked him over and he felt like she was dissecting him with her eyes.  “Okay,” she agreed.  “I don’t _think_ you’re trying to get out of telling me.”

“Of course not,” he said confused, “why would I do that?”  He didn’t mind telling her.  It was the others he was worried about.

She patted him on the shoulder but didn’t answer, which really wasn’t helpful.  As she walked away, he went back to pouring sugar into his coffee mug, swirling the spoon as he poured.  He had started bringing his own sugar when others complained about how fast it was running out.  He hid the small pour container behind some ancient oatmeal packet boxes and left the breakroom.

“So what has Penelope all excited?” JJ asked as they passed in the hallway back to his desk.

“Huh?”

“She just seems a lot more smiley then normal.  Something must be going on to make her so happy.”

Spencer shrugged.  “No idea.”

JJ pursed her lips. “Maybe I should take her to lunch and see if I can get her to tell me what’s going on,” she said, a little lost in thought.  “Enjoy your day, Spence,” she added as she resumed her pursuit of coffee.

Spencer sat at his desk and thought.  He didn’t want to tell both Penelope _and_ JJ, but he didn’t know how to throw JJ off the lunch thoughts without giving something away.  Maybe he just would do coffee instead of lunch.

That thought was not to be, though.  Penelope insisted on lunch, JJ in tow.  “Where are we going?” he asked for the third time as they hopped on the Metro. 

“Fabulous place I found,” JJ said with (what he hoped was) a fond roll of her eyes.  “It’s not too far, but the food is amazing.”

“I’ve been dying to go there,” Penelope gushed.  “I’m so glad you suggested lunch!”

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting in a small café, waiting to place their orders.  He was listening to JJ and Penelope talk about a movie they had both just seen, but wasn’t fully paying attention.  He was looking over the menu, trying to pick something that sounded good.

“So, Dr. Reid,” Penelope said, pulling him out of his ordering dilemma, “are you going to tell me about this girl or do I have to drag it out of you?”

“Girl?  What girl?” JJ asked, perking up.

“A girl he met last night in his building,” Penelope said with a smug little smile.   “So spill already.”

Penelope and JJ both turned eager faces on him.  “There’s not a whole lot to tell,” he said slowly.  “I was outside my apartment when she came by and we met.”

“What were you doing?” Penelope demanded.  “I said I needed details.  Paint the scene for me!”

“I was, uh, practicing lock picking.”

“What?” JJ and Penelope said at the same time.  “I’m sorry, did you say lock picking?” JJ continued.

“I did,” he said.  Then, taking in their looks of not so pleasant shock he added, “It’s useful in magic and I was practicing on my front door.”

“Wait,” Penelope said, overcoming her shock first, “you were sitting outside your door picking the lock when you two finally met?”

“Yes?”

“She must have thought you were a criminal!”

“She did at first,” he admitted, “but I showed her that I had a key to unlock the door.”

“So you proved to her you weren’t the neighborhood thief and then what?”

“Nothing much.  She introduced herself, we shook hands, and that was it.  She went back to her place and I went back to mine.”  He ducked his head back into his menu, even though he knew what he was going to get.

“Penelope?” a new, oddly familiar voice asked.  “Oh my gosh!  I didn’t expect I’d see you here!”

Spencer looked up, and straight into Darcy’s eyes.

***

This wasn’t what she had planned, but this probably wasn’t all that bad either.  “Hi Darcy!” she said with a big smile.  “How are you?”

“Fabulous,” Darcy said, casting her eyes over the table, but sticking as soon as they took in a familiar figure.  “So what’s going on here?”

“Lunch with work friends.  This is JJ, and I believe you met Spencer last night.”

“Yes,” she said, her cheeks a little pink, “I did.”


	5. Friendship is Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like friends to help you through that awkward moment when your crush pops up in an unexpected place with unexpected people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few hours early! Happy New Year! I'm going to try and pick up the pace on this fic, but we'll see if that actually works in practice.

Darcy tried not to stare at Spencer as she took in that Penelope apparently worked with the cute boy from last night.  There was a lot to unpack there, but now wasn’t the time for it.  She needed all of her mental facilities focused on acting totally normal.

“So what are you up to?” Penelope asked.

“Also lunch with a friend.  He’s heading back to New York and I promised him lunch in exchange for delivering a package to a friend for me.”  She vaguely waved at her bag.  “He’s not here yet, but I thought I’d grab a table.  He’s, uh a vet and likes to sit with his back in a corner, so I wanted to make sure we got a good table.”  Her eyes swept over the table again.  “I’m sorry,” she said as she looked at JJ who was eyeing her, “I’m so rude.  I’m Darcy Lewis,” she said, holding out her hand.

JJ took it and shook with a firm handshake, unapologetic as she looked Darcy over.  Darcy appreciated that she wasn’t hiding her assessment, as she too was evaluating the new face.  JJ seemed to find her acceptable and said, “I’m JJ,” before letting go.  “So how do you all know each other?” she added.

“I met Darcy the other day when I was watering Reid’s plants,” Penelope supplied.  Darcy was surprised to learn that Spencer was Penelope’s friend in the building, but was even more surprised that this seemed to be news to him as well.

“And Darcy and I are neighbors,” Spencer said, his voice a touch rough.

“Yeah,” Darcy added lamely, “we just met last night.”

“I see,” was all JJ said, but her eyes clearly said she wanted to know more.

“Hey Darce,” a voice said behind her.  She turned to find Steve looking at her quizzically.

“Steve!  Hi.  Sorry.”  She was babbling.  “I meant to get us a table but I ran into a few friends.”  She looked back at the table, “Uh, everyone, this is Steve.  Steve, this is Penelope, JJ, and Spencer.”

“Hi,” Steve said with a small wave.  “Wait, aren’t you Darcy’s neighbor?” he asked when his eyes landed on Spencer.

“Err, yes?”

“We met.  Last week?  When you dropped your key?”

“Oh, yeah,” Spencer said, his cheeks softly pink.

“We should let them get back to their lunch,” she said, grabbing Steve by the arm.  “We’ll catch up later?” she said to the group at large.

“Yeah, sure,” Penelope said.  “Have a good lunch.  It was nice running into you.”

Darcy’s eyes might have mostly been on Spencer, but she didn’t miss the lingering look Penelope gave Steve as they left.

They settled into their table and Darcy was relieved that her back was to the rest of the room.  If she had been able to see Spencer and Penelope she would have spent the entire lunch focused on them and not on Steve.

“So,” Steve said, drawing the word out, “that was awkward.”

Darcy groaned.  “So awkward,” she agreed. 

“But why?” he asked, pointedly looking at the menu instead of her.

“It’s kind of a long story.”  It wasn’t.  Not by a long shot, but she wasn’t sure she and Steve were on this level of friendship yet.  She had met him back in New York while she was helping set Jane up in her new Stark funded lab, and they had hung out a handful of times.  Enough to exchange numbers so that they could meet up whenever he was in DC.  Which turned out the be kind of often, actually.  He refused to tell her just what he was working on, but she decided she didn’t want to know if it had anything at all to do with Shield (and she was sure it did).  They had settled into more than acquaintances but not what she would call best friends (though she thought they might get there).

“I’ve got plenty of time, Darcy.”

“Well I don’t.”

“Liar,” he countered.  “You have today off.  There’s no time related reason why you can’t tell me this story.”  He was right and she hated it.  She had taken the day off to have her yearly doctor visit, but that had been in the morning, and she had no other plans.  “You don’t have to tell me,” he said, looking up at her with his earnest eyes that never failed to make her cave, “but I think you need to tell someone.  I can tell there’s something there that you need to talk out.  Dr. Foster is out collecting data, so I’m here if you need a surrogate.”

Darcy took a deep breath.  “Fine, but I don’t want you making fun of me.” He would have given her some sort of “I’d never” talk, but the waiter showed up to take their order.  Instead he waited until the waiter had walked away to turn his intense eyes back on her.  “Go on then.”

“So Spencer, my neighbor, I actually only met him last night.  I met Penelope before I met him.  I didn’t know that they knew each other, though, now that I think about it, I should have.”  She paused.  Penelope had been in her building, on her floor, because of a friend.  It makes sense that it would have been Spencer.  There were only two other apartments on their floor.  She knew for a fact that one of them was an elderly man, and she had a suspicion that the other was empty.

The pause must have been too long because Steve cut into her thoughts.  “And you instantly were smitten.  So then what?”

Darcy blushed a hot red.  “So then nothing.  We had a short conversation in the hallway last night when I thought he might have been breaking into an apartment.”

“Wait, you thought he was a burglar?  And you confronted him?”

“Well I do have my taser,” she replied smartly.

“Ahhh yes, how could I forget?  Thor loves that story.”

She gave a smug little smile.  “So yeah, he was actually picking his own lock, for fun I guess.  I never asked.  It was all I could do to stay coherent around him though, and I kinda high tailed it pretty quickly.”

“You ran away because you liked a boy?” Steve asked, barely containing his laughter.

Darcy banged her head on the table softly.  “Yes,” she groaned.  “I’m a mess.”

“I’m sure it’ll be cute once it stops being funny,” he said diplomatically.  “It’s just, you tased Thor, a man at least double if not triple your size with no problem, but a bean pole of a boy sends you into a tailspin.”

“He’s so cute Steve,” she said into the wood table.

“Your food’s here, lift your head so the waiter can put it down.  You can be face first in your sandwich if you feel like it once he puts it down.”  Darcy obliged and allowed the waiter to drop their order onto the table, Steve’s taking up almost all the available space.  He gave a sheepish shrug, but she understood.  Thor ate a ton too.  Once the waiter was gone, Steve asked, “So what are you going to do?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do?”

“About Spencer.”

“Uhhhh,” Darcy stalled, taking a bite of her sandwich.

“You should ask him out,” Steve said before tucking into his own meal.  “I mean, obviously he likes you, so go on a date and see what happens.”

“Obviously,” she said, trying to intone the air quotes she would have given the word if her hands weren’t full of tasty, conversation-avoiding lunch.

“Did you really not see how he looked at you?”

“I did not.”

“I’ve seen that look before.  Hell, I’ve given that look before.  He’s interested, even if your brain currently isn’t letting you know that.  Stop letting fear cloud your vision.”

She tried to scoff at his words, but it was half-hearted.  He wasn’t wrong.  “I thought you were supposed to be shit at relationships Rogers.”

“I haven’t had a whole lot of relationships,” he agreed.  “But it wasn’t for lack of trying.  Even before the serum I wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.”

“You mean fight.”  Steve didn’t respond, but his lips quirked up a bit.  “What about you?  Anyone on your radar?”

Steve gave a little sigh.  “I’m too busy and my life is too dangerous.  It wouldn’t be fair.”

“That’s not really an answer to my question.  That actually sounds more like talking yourself out of something you want, which I’m pretty sure you just tried to tell me is something you don’t do.  Which is it Steve?”

“No one, but the thought of someone.”

“Fair enough,” Darcy said with a tip of her fry at him before popping it into her mouth.

***

**YOU HAVE EXPLAINING TO DO**

Penelope had been expecting this text sooner or later.

_I know_

**YOU’RE BUYING DRINKS**

_Name the time and place._

**Tonight.  Same place as last time.  7.**

_Can I bring JJ?_

**Does she have additional information?**

_Depends on what you want information on._

**You know exactly what I want to know about.**

_I need to know more explicitly in order to determine if she’s needed._

**I need you to explain WTH**

**But also maybe tell me everything you know about him**

Penelope smiled.  She knew Darcy was interested. 

_We’ll be there._

Now she just needed to go inform JJ they had plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left me kind words about my crazy moving ordeal. We're still waiting for our stuff to arrive (it should come mid-week), and then the unpacking will begin. (I'm pretty excited to get my mirror ball back.) Also, I drove around town the other day which, honestly, was kind of a big deal for me after everything. I'm glad the husband made me do it. Happiest of New Years to all of you. May you love and be loved.


	6. They Mean Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer has a slightly tense lunch with the girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER CHAPTER BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL. (Also because I feel like you deserve it after my past flakiness.)

As soon as Darcy and Steve made their retreat, both JJ and Garcia turned to look at him.  “Well?” JJ asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Well what?”

“That’s the girl?  The one from last night that thought you were a criminal?”

“Yeah, that’s Darcy.”

“You’ve got good taste.”  Penelope nodded, enthusiastically agreeing with JJ who looked back at the pair as they walked to their table. “She keeps some, err, interesting company.”

“Just friends,” Penelope supplied, causing JJ’s focus to turn and making Spencer full on open-mouth stare.  “I asked the other night when we went out for drinks.”

“When were you going to tell me?” Spencer found himself asking.

“Tell you…?”

“That you had met her.  You had to know that she was the girl I had been talking about for a month.”

“I did,” she allowed, angering Spencer.  How could she have said nothing?  Had she been laughing at him previously when he had lamented that she was probably dating Steve (who seemed to be so much better than him in so many ways)?  “But we went out for drinks last night and I hadn’t had a chance to tell you yet.”

“You could have told me last night when I was texting you.” He tried not to let his anger color his words too much.

“That’s not really a text conversation.”

“Then call me, Garcia.”

“To be fair,” JJ said, eyes darting back and forth between them, “she did plan on talking to you at lunch and I invited myself along.  She would have told you if we hadn’t actually run into Darcy.”

“I don’t know that she would have.”  Penelope had looked surprised to see Darcy, and possibly a little sheepish as well.  Had that been because she had been caught or because she hadn’t had a chance to share like she had planned?

“This is getting out of hand,” Penelope said, waving the waiter over.  “Let’s order and then I’ll start at the beginning.”  Spencer begrudgingly agreed because the waiter was already there.  He looked over to the corner where Darcy and Steve were sitting.  Her back was to him, her hair a tumble of waves down her back.  It was probably for the best that her back was to him, otherwise he would spend most of the lunch wondering if they were talking about him and trying to read her lips and expressions.  Then he would miss whatever Garcia was going to say, which he was admittedly very curious to hear.

As soon as they had ordered, Garcia got straight to explaining.  “Remember when I was watering your plants?  Well, the last night I went over, as I was leaving I met Darcy on the stairs.  I knew it had to be her, but we never would have actually met if she hadn’t complimented my shoes.  That’s when I got a good look at her and realized she was clearly having a terrible day.  I made small talk with her and walked her back to her door because she looked seriously dead on her feet.  She gave me her number and said we should go out sometime.  At this point, if you brought her up, I was going to ask a few clarifying questions to make sure there wasn’t another pretty brunette in your building before telling you I met her.”

“But you didn’t,” he interrupted, still annoyed.

“No, I didn’t.  Because you were going on about how she was seeing someone.  So I decided to find out if she was before I told you we had met, so then I could give you the good or bad news.  That was last night.  She told me about who I assume was Steve and how they were just friends.  And trust me, after seeing them, that’s totally all they are.”

Spencer looked over at their table again.  Darcy’s head was on the table and Steve was giving her a fond but exasperated look.  He puffed up to say he wasn’t sure that’s all Steve wanted to be when JJ beat him to the conversation.  “She’s totally right, Spence.  She could barely take her eyes off you the entire time, even once Steve showed up.”

“But she hurried up and left once he arrived.”

“Yeah, because things were crazy awkward.”

“And she was meeting him for lunch,” JJ added.  “We don’t know if they’re working on a strict schedule.  But it still doesn’t matter.  She only had eyes for you.  Steve never stood a chance.”

“But look at him,” Spencer said, getting to one of his main insecurities.

“Oh, trust me, he’s certainly conventionally attractive,” Penelope said, her eyes sweeping over to their table, “but that’s not everyone’s thing.  Besides, Darcy flat out told me he wasn’t her type last night.”

“You know, he looks kind of familiar,” JJ said with a small frown.  “I can’t quite place it though.  Maybe if he shaved…”

“I like the beard,” Penelope argued.  “It’s got a bit of an All-American lumberjack feel.”  Penelope tore her eyes off the table and turned back to Spencer.  “Besides, she sent me a text last night saying she had met her cute neighbor, so I think you’re good in that department.”

Spencer blushed red hot.  “Did she?” he practically squeaked.

Penelope pulled out her phone and scrolled to the text in question and flipped her phone for him to see.  “Better?” she asked, putting her phone back in her purse.

“I guess,” he said as the waiter brought their meals. 

“You should ask her out,” JJ said when the waiter left.

He had taken a bite of his sandwich and was worried he might choke as he started to sputter at her proclamation.  “Oh!” Garcia said, clapping her hands together, “Let’s plan the perfect first date for them!”

“I’m sorry but what?” he said after he finally swallowed.  “Why would I ask her out?”

“Because you want to date her?”

“Because she wants to date you?”

“Because you want to date each other?”

“We don’t know-“ he started to say.

“-We know,” the both said at the same time, cutting him off.  “Believe what you want Spencer, but she’s into you just like you’re into her.  Asking her out won’t be some sort of terrible, rejection-filled activity,” JJ finished.

“But you can help yourself by asking her out on the right date.”

“What’s the ‘right date’?” He asked, feeling he could probably safely resume his lunch.

“It’s the date most likely to put you both at your best, hit her interests, and make her more likely to say yes to another,” JJ explained.  “She’ll say yes to the first because she thinks you're cute, but you need to play it right for her to say yes to the second.”

“Shouldn’t I just be myself?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Penelope said.  “But you need to maximize your potential while making her feel like she can be herself too.  For example, you shouldn’t invite her to a chess tournament.  You’d be able to be yourself, but she’d probably think it was awkward and not a great date.  She’d have a hard time saying yes to a second chance.”

“I’m thinking she’s a coffee girl,” JJ said thoughtfully.  “And you drink coffee like it’s necessary to survival-“

“It is.”

“-so getting coffee might strike the right balance of casual but also somewhere you’d both feel comfortable.”

“It’s a little cliché, for sure,” Garcia said, “but it’s also low pressure which is perfect for nerds in love.”  Spencer gave her a look.  “Well you are,” she said defensively.

“Don’t fight the truth, work with it,” JJ said sagely.

Spencer sighed and felt himself give in.  “Okay, I’ll ask her out for coffee.  But I don’t have her number, and I’m not going to just go knock on her door, so how do I ask?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Penelope said, shooting a look at Darcy’s table.  They were paying.  “But we don’t have time for that kind of serious planning before we have to be back at the BAU.  Don’t worry, we won’t let you down.”

“I’ve made a huge mistake, haven’t I?”

“Now why would you say that?”

***

Penelope and JJ communicated through looks and the occasional text on the trip back to work.  If she had read the last eyebrow raise correctly, they were going to grab drinks tonight to plot for Spencer.  She was surprised she hadn’t gotten an angry text from Darcy yet, considering she and Steve had left a full 15 minutes before they had.  As if on cue, her phone dinged with an incoming message from Darcy.  As they briefly texted, a new plan formed in her mind.  She put her phone in her bag and took a walk to see JJ.  They’d still get drinks and plot tonight, but they’d have a little extra (though unwitting) help in their quest for setting up a great first date.

She paused as she got close to JJ’s office.  Was she being too involved?  Nah. She decided as she started walking again.  Left to their own devices, these two cuties would make glaciers look like greyhounds.  This was for them, but also her own sanity.


	7. Things That Go Bump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few hiccups might bump things for the better (or worse).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm impatient about posting so enjoy!

Darcy had stared at her closet for a full fifteen minutes trying to decide what to wear out to drinks tonight.  She needed something that said she meant business, but also said “I am good enough for your friend and don’t you forget it.”  She finally decided those looks were actually kind of the same thing.  She settled on a pair of cute jeans, her heeled mahogany boots, and a floral top with a vintage feel that hugged in just the right places.  Then she sharpened her winged eyeliner to a point and put on the perfect lipstick and looked in the mirror.  Feminine but with a sharp edge.  Perfect.  She gave a shark like grin to the mirror, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

“Spencer!” she yelped when she practically ran into him in the hallway as she passed his door the moment he came out.

“Darcy!” he responded, equally surprised.  He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her as he had almost knocked her over.  When he realized what he was doing, he quickly dropped his hands from her.  Her top had short fluttery cap sleeves, and his fingers had grazed her bare skin, causing her to almost lose her breath at the welcome electricity that seemed to dance from his fingers across his skin.  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his eyes dropping from her lips to the floor.

“No, I’m sorry.  I practically ran you over there.”  She took a look at him.  His hair was mussed, but in a frazzled way.  His pants were wrinkled, and his sweater was hanging slightly askew.  “Are you okay?”

“Err, yeah.  Completely fine.  Are you?”

“I’m serious,” she said, straightening his sweater.  “You look like you’ve had a rough time.”  She watched him swallow but remain mute while she finished with his sweater.  “Spencer?”

He shook himself a bit before responding.  “You look like you were heading somewhere.  I should let you go.”  He moved to go back into his apartment.

“Wait!” Darcy grabbed his wrist.  “Don’t go.”  He turned back, looking first at her hand and then her face.  She felt herself blush as she dropped his wrist, suddenly concerned about touching him.  “I, uh, was going out, but I can meet up with them later if you’re not okay.”

“You don’t have to do that,” he said ducking his head again.  His hair fell into his face and Darcy itched to tuck it behind his ear.  “You look very nice.  I wouldn’t want to interrupt your night.”

“It’s just some…well, I was going to say friends, but we’ll see after tonight.”

“Penelope?”

“Yeah,” she said nodding her head.  “She has some explaining to do.”

“I should let you go get your answers.”

Darcy bit her lip before blurting out, “Okay, but maybe we should get coffee sometime?”

His eyes snapped up to hers, searching them.  “You want to get coffee?  With me?”

“Yeah.  I definitely want that.”  Why was she whispering?

“Me too,” he said, whispering himself.

Darcy rummaged in her purse and pulled out a business card, just like she had with Penelope.  This time, though, she scrawled more than her cell number.  She also quickly wrote, “You, me, coffee?  Please say yes.”  She handed him to card and looked him over again.  “I hope to see you again soon Spencer,” she said with a small smile.

He flipped the card around his fingers like a magician might with a coin after looking at it like he was memorizing it even though he would be keeping it.  “Me too,” he said with a hint of a smile.  “Have a good night Darcy.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear all about it tomorrow,” she replied, turning to leave.    She could feel his eyes on her as she walked down the hall, so she turned and looked over her shoulder at him, giving a shy smile before disappearing down the stairs.

Once she was safely on the street she let her legs turn to jelly while her stomach did a little flip.  She couldn’t believe she had followed Steve’s advice and actually asked him out.  And he had said yes!  Of course, there weren’t any firm, set plans, but still!  She took a moment to commit the entire moment to memory before she squared her shoulders and began walking to the wine bar.  She still had a meeting with Penelope to get through.  Just before she opened the door, her phone buzzed.  She pulled it out of her purse.

Hey, it’s Spencer.

I realized you didn’t have my number.

Darcy smiled.  He had only had her number for maybe ten minutes and he was already using it.

**And now I do.**

**You might end up regretting that**

**;)**

There was a longer pause than she anticipated before he responded.

I was just thinking…

Penelope kept something from us

So maybe we should keep something from her.

**I like where your head’s at**

**I’m about to go in now**

**Game on.**

She dropped her phone back into her purse and opened the door.  Penelope and JJ were already there, waving her over.  She felt her phone buzz again, but she ignored it.  It was show time.  She lifted her chin and (remembering a tumblr post) thought “murder” while she confidently strode to their table.  “Good evening,” she said as she gracefully slid into the open chair.  Now that she had put on a character, she found herself having fun.  She turned and waved the waiter over, placing an order and telling him to put it on Penelope’s tab before turning back to the women in front of her.  “I believe you have some explaining to do,” she said just a touch coldly.

Penelope’s brow furrowed a bit.  “You’re mad,” she said with a downturn to her lips.  “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad yet,” Darcy clarified.  “It’s useless to be mad without the facts.  I’m currently indifferent.”  Darcy could feel JJ’s eyes on her, but she refused to look over at the woman.

“As you learned earlier, Spencer and I work together.  I was fairly certain he was who you meant when you texted me about the cute neighbor, but I wasn’t sure.  That is, wasn’t sure until he texted me about meeting you.  I didn’t necessarily want to share that he was my plant friend right away because, honestly, I was worried about one of you not being as interested as the other.”

Darcy studied her face.  “No,” she decided, “that’s not totally true.  This isn’t going to work unless you’re telling me the truth.  The whole truth.”

Penelope pursed her lips and thought for a moment.  “Fine.  I knew that he had a crush on you.  I knew from the moment I met you that you were the girl he had been telling me about for the past month.  Please don’t tell him I told you that. I just wanted to get to know you before I told him I had met you.”

“You wanted to vet me,” Darcy clarified.

“Our job makes us slow to trust,” JJ cut in, drawing Darcy’s attention.  “When you pretty much see the crappy side of people day in and day out, it makes it hard to believe there are good people.  Reid’s had some not great people in his life at various times, and we didn’t want to watch him get hurt again.”

“But that’s not your decision,” Darcy argued.  “You don’t get to decide who he sees.  You don’t get to decide who I see.  None of us decide who our heart wants.  It happens.  What if I am someone terrible?  Are you going to keep us apart?  Can you?”  They both looked at her but didn’t speak.  She might be a disaster with men, but she was a pretty decent self-advocate.  “And what if he’s the one that hurts me?  Are you going to sit back and do nothing because he was your friend first?  How do you know I haven’t had my fair share of shitty people in my life?  How do you know that I’m not just as slow to trust?  Because what I’m getting right now is that a person I met and thought I had a real connection with wasn’t really interested in me as my own person.  Instead she was simply acting like a screening service for a friend that she clearly thinks can’t take care of himself.”

“You don’t know Reid,” JJ started to say.

“No kidding.  I haven’t had a chance to yet.”  Darcy was satisfied by the thoroughly chastised looks on both women’s faces.  “Look, I originally came here tonight because I wanted to understand what had happened and then learn all I could about Spencer, but I’ve kinda changed my mind.  I don’t want to know about him.  If I’m going to know anything about him, I want to hear it from the source.  So, instead, why don’t we move on?  If we’re going to be friends, really and truly, then let’s get to know each other and leave the scheming behind.”

The tension seemed to slip from Penelope’s shoulders.  “Okay,” she said slowly.  “Let’s do that.”  She signaled to the waiter.  “But first, I’m going to need another drink.”

Darcy smiled and settled back into the chair. She really wasn’t all that mad at Penelope.  She just wanted to make it clear she wasn’t a toy to play with.  Penelope probably didn’t see her that way.  She most likely had just gotten excited at the prospect of friends falling for each other.  Being a boss ass bitch had been exhausting, and Darcy was so ready to slide back into her goofy, sometimes self-conscious self.

***

“What do you think?” JJ asked as they walked to her car.

“I still like her as a friend and for Reid,” she said thoughtfully.  “I think she’s a lot of fun.”

“I don’t think we get to decide if she and Spence will be a thing,” JJ said a little ruefully.

“And I can’t be too mad about that.  I guess I got carried away with the matchmaking thing.”

“You guess?”

“In my defense, it all happened kind of fast.  What did you think?”

“I think she’s wasted as a Congressional intern.  She’d be much better doing something more like my job.  Did you see how she basically transformed after she was done calling you out?  That girl can put on a performance if she thinks she needs to.  That’s a skill made for being a media liaison.”

“Looking for a protégé?

“Maybe,” JJ said with a small smile.

“No!” Penelope said stopping in the street to stare at her friend.  “How long?”

JJ laughed.  “I’m not pregnant.  Did you not see me drink two glasses of wine tonight?”

“Oh,” she said deflating.  “Right.”

JJ bumped shoulders with her.  “Get in the car.  Let me take your scheming mind home.”

“Speaking of schemes, what do you think it would take to get Darcy to introduce me to Steve?”

“Technically she already did.”

“Not what I meant and you know it.”


	8. Breathless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hallway meeting from Spencer's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, let's talk canon timeline here and how it relates to the story. In essence: it doesn't. Steve hasn't officially moved to DC yet (though that will be happening probably), so Winter Soldier hasn't happened yet, but we are post Dark World. As for CM, I'm thinking Prentiss in London (if I can get the plot to do my bidding). Basically, it's the characters in their own/combined world and whatever canon details I add. So...SUPER AU.

Reid paced around his apartment, running his hands through his hair and then up and down his pants, feeling a bit like a caged tiger.  He was restless for no reason.  Well, that wasn’t totally true.  He was feeling the pent up energy of nerves and anxiety from the day.  He had been mad at Garcia, but he kind of understood.  She was hoping to spare him some hurt if she could, and she was definitely a romantic at heart.  She just hadn’t gone about things in the best way possible.  If she had just told him to begin with that she had run into Darcy it would have been a lot easier to accept the rest.  He really didn’t like being kept in the dark.

He needed to do something to burn off this energy.  His eyes roamed his apartment looking for something, anything, to do.  Unfortunately, the place was already pretty much spotless from a cleaning binge he had gone on last night when he had finally met Darcy.  “Think like Morgan,” he told himself.  He thought for a minute and then flopped onto the floor.  Push-ups.  Morgan would do push-ups.  He got two in before his arms gave and he landed flat on his face.  “This is fine,” he said to the room at large.  He rolled onto his back and sighed.  He was a mess.

A walk.  That’s what he would do.  He’d go on a walk, maybe to the little tea shop down the road, and get something, chamomile maybe, to help him relax.  He’d be moving which would help with the restlessness, and then he’d have some tea when he got home.  Maybe read a book.  Or the case files he should be looking over.  One of the two.

Mind made up, he grabbed his wallet and keys and rushed out the door…and smack into someone.

“Spencer!” the female voice yelped, alerting him to just who he had nearly mowed down.

“Darcy!” he responded, surprised to see her again so soon.  His hands immediately grabbed at her shoulders, worried that he might have actually nearly knocked her over.  She swayed a bit under his hands, and he gripped her just a touch more firmly to keep her on her feet.  Once he was satisfied that she was upright he had a new bolt of anxiety when he realized he was touching her and she might not want that.  He dropped his hands quickly so she wouldn’t think he was being too forward, but his fingers ached to touch her again.  Traitorous hands.

“No, I’m sorry.  I practically ran you over there.”  He wanted to laugh.  Her?  Knocking into him?  More like him bowling her over.  “Are you okay?”

“Err, yeah.  Completely fine.”  He watched her eyes roam over him and was taken by how beautiful she looked.  Her shirt was a pretty little floral thing that wasn’t revealing but somehow made his mouth dry.  She looked feminine and fierce all at once.  He pulled himself out of his admiration to ask, “Are you?”

“I’m serious,” she said, straightening his sweater.  He stilled at her touch.  It was light but not ticklish.  He couldn’t take his eyes off her fingers as the deftly straightened and smoothed.  It made his stomach flutter, and he let himself imagine her doing this for him on a regular basis.  The casual intimacy made him lightheaded. “You look like you’ve had a rough time.”  _Not anymore_ , he thought. “Spencer?”

He shook himself a bit before responding.  “You look like you were heading somewhere.  I should let you go.”  _Not dating,_ he reminded himself.  She certainly looked like she might be heading out to meet up with someone that he hoped wasn’t another man. He moved to go back into his apartment.

“Wait!” Darcy grabbed his wrist, and his heart skipped a beat. “Don’t go.”  He turned back, looking first at her hand and then her face.  He memorized how delicate her fingers looked encircling his wrist, and wondered at her wanting him to stay here, in the hallway, with her.  Her face had turned a soft pink that was rosy and he longed to run a finger over her cheek to see if it was also warm to the touch.  He kept his hand firmly to his side as she dropped her hand from his. “I, uh, was going out, but I can meet up with them later if you’re not okay.”

_Yes,_ he wanted to say, _Stay with me._   Instead he said, “You don’t have to do that,” ducking his head to hide his own creeping blush.  “You look very nice.  I wouldn’t want to interrupt your night.”

“It’s just some…well, I was going to say friends, but we’ll see after tonight.”

“Penelope?” he guessed based on the reluctance in her tone.  He was a little sad for Garcia because she seemed to genuinely like Darcy outside of his own interest in her.  He hoped that this hadn’t ruined their possible friendship.

“Yeah,” she said nodding her head.  “She has some explaining to do.”

“I should let you go get your answers.” He was reluctant to leave her company, but he also didn’t have a reason to keep her any longer.

Darcy bit her lip, and his eye immediately locked on it and almost missed what she said. “Okay, but maybe we should get coffee sometime?”

“You want to get coffee?  With me?” he asked in wonder.

“Yeah.  I definitely want that,” she whispered. 

“Me too,” he said, whispering because speaking any louder might break whatever spell allowed her to ask him out.

Darcy rummaged in her purse and pulled out a business card, and quickly wrote on it before handing it to him.  “I hope to see you again soon Spencer,” she said with a small smile that made his breath hitch just a bit.

He quickly looked over the card, intent on memorizing it, but then got stuck looking at her loopy handwriting which felt like an accurate representation of her.  He flipped the card through his fingers in an almost unconscious motion to make himself stop staring at the card.  “Me too.  Have a good night Darcy.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear all about it tomorrow,” she replied, turning to leave.    He watched as she walked away, and when she turned to look back at him, he almost died of embarrassment at being caught looking, but then she smiled and his unease melted away as she disappeared down the stairs.  He sighed and leaned against his doorframe.  He wasn’t restless anymore, but maybe he should still go out and grab some tea.

First, though, he needed to take care of something.  He went inside and grabbed his phone (which he had forgotten in his haste to get out the door). He thought for a few minutes about just what he should say, and decided keeping it straightforward was best.

Hey, it’s Spencer.

I realized you didn’t have my number.

Simple and to the point.  He wanted her to be able to get in touch if she wanted, and she couldn’t do that without his number too.

**And now I do.**

**You might end up regretting that**

**;)**

A winking face.  He wasn’t sure how to process that.  He’d have to ask someone, but he wasn’t sure who.  He pushed that to the side and sent another message.

I was just thinking…

Penelope kept something from us

So maybe we should keep something from her.

He wasn’t mad at Garcia, but he also didn’t necessarily want everything to be up for public consumption.  He was nervous enough.  He didn’t need that complicated by everyone telling him what he should be doing or making him fret over things he didn’t even know he should be thinking about.

**I like where your head’s at**

**I’m about to go in now**

**Game on.**

He put down his phone and smiled. He wondered if Garcia would tell him about meeting up with Darcy tonight.  Had she learned her lesson about keeping secrets?

He dropped his phone into his pocket and took off toward the tea shop.  His step was lighter than it had been, and his mind was more calm.  While they hadn’t worked out the details, he had a date with Darcy!

***

_Hey Reid_

_I just wanted to say I was sorry_

_About everything_

Penelope looked at her phone.  It was late and Reid was notorious for dropping his phone in his bag when he went to bed and turning off the text alerts.  He would wake up if he got an actual call, but not when someone (cough-her-cough) texted him late at night.  He might not see this until the morning.  She might as well get it all out there.

_I shouldn’t have kept things from you._

_I saw Darcy tonight because I owed her an explanation too_

_And she made a good point about me not being your gatekeeper_

_I totally understand if you don’t want to talk to me about her ever again_

_But I just wanted to say I’m sorry_

_And that I think you’ll like her once you get to know her_

_I think you should ask her out_

_And I’ll help if you ask_

_But that’s not my business unless you make it my business._

It was a hard text to send because deep down in her romantic heart, she wanted first row seats to what she thought would probably be a super cute relationship.  She had messed up, though, so she would take what she could get.

She put her phone on her night table and went to wash her face.  When she came back out to check her alarm she saw a new message.

Thank you

She smiled.  Maybe things were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've unloaded my moving truck into my living room and am now in the process of unpacking. Writing is a welcome distraction.


	9. Always Check Your Email

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy gets home from her night out and has a weird night/morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HATE UNPACKING

Darcy hummed to herself as she walked back to her apartment.  Things with Penelope and JJ had actually gone fairly well once they got past the whole Spencer thing.  Speaking of, she hadn’t checked to see what his message had been before she had gone into the wine bar.  She pulled her phone out and frowned.  She didn’t have a text from Spencer, but, instead, from Steve.  “Change of plans.  Can I crash with you tonight?”  That had been two hours ago.  “Do you still need a place to stay?  I’m on my way home now.”  “Don’t hate me,” came his quick reply, “But yes.  I’m at Spencer’s.  Come get me when you’re back.”

He was at Spencer’s?  How did that happen?  She narrowed her eyes.  Had he done it on purpose?  Just as quickly, she dismissed the thought.  That wasn’t Steve’s style.  He wouldn’t force her hand like that, at least not yet.  For one, he would want to give her a chance to follow his advice, and for two, while they had gotten closer over the past few months, they weren’t at a place in their friendship where he would interfere like that (or at least she didn’t think so).  She would just have to find out later.  Right now, she needed to grab Steve and go to bed since she had to get back to work tomorrow.

She climbed the stairs to her floor and stood in front of Spencer’s door for almost a full minute before she knocked.  She wasn’t sure why she had difficulty raising her hand.  There was nothing to be embarrassed about.  Sure she had asked him out, but he had said yes, so why the stall?  She was too tired to examine it fully.  As soon as she knocked, she heard a thump from inside the apartment, and then Spencer was opening the door.  “Darcy!  Hi.”

“Hi,” she said, suddenly suspicious about Steve again.  Why wasn’t he at the door too?  Why was Spencer surprised to see her?  “Is Steve here?” she asked.  When his face fell just a bit she quickly added, “He sent me a text saying he wanted to crash at my place tonight and was here.”

“I’m here Darcy,” Steve called from inside the apartment.  “Just give me a sec to grab my bag.”

“Sooo,” she said, unsure what to say to Spencer.

“Yeah,” he said. Then, after a little longer than appropriate pause added, “How was drinks with Penelope?”

“And JJ,” she said.  His brow furrowed just a bit at that.  “It was fine after we got past the awkward talk about lunch.”

“Good,” he said, and then Steve was standing next to him with his bag.

“Shall we?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said through a yawn.  “Let’s go, ya mooch.”  Steve stepped out to the hall and Spencer started to close the door.  “Goodnight,” she called to him with a small wave.

“Goodnight Darcy,” he said with a small smile that made her want to stay up all night with him, damn the consequences.

Steve cleared his throat and she realized she had been staring.  She turned and led Steve to her door, ushering him in front of her before locking up behind herself.

“So you two are cute,” Steve said with a shit-eating grin.  “How did he know you were going out for drinks tonight?”

“I ran into him in the hall on my way out,” she said as she dropped her purse on the counter and walked down the hall to grab the bedding for her futon.

“And?” Steve said a little too eagerly. 

She paused in front of the tiny closet she was pulling sheets out of.  They had decided not to mention anything to Penelope, but what about Steve?  “And what?” she asked, stalling.

Steve sighed.  “Darcy, that sounds like a missed opportunity.”

She closed the closet, glad that Steve couldn’t see her face.  “It was what it was,” she said as she dropped the items on the futon he had already pulled into a bed.  Technically she hadn’t lied.  She had let him make wrong assumptions, but there were no lies.  “Will you still be here when I wake up?”

“Probably.  Might need to stay another night too.”

“Cool.  We can talk that out in the morning before I leave.  I’m exhausted.”

“Errr,” Steve said, his stutter causing Darcy to look back at him.

“’Errr’ what?”  She gave a great sigh.  “Damnit Steve, I don’t want to be exhausted at work tomorrow, but it looks like I don’t have a choice.  What aren’t you saying?”

“I’m staying because I’ve been given a task that I think involves you.”

“Me?  I haven’t been a person of interest in a while.”

“It wasn’t because you're a person of interest per say,” he hedged, “but I think you’re the right person.”

“I’m tired and confused.  Do we have to talk about this right now?”

“We don’t,” he said slowly.  “We can talk in the morning.  When do you get up?”

“Same as before,” she said before realizing that he probably had no reason to memorize her routine.  He had only stayed over twice before.  “I’ll be up at 5 and out the door by 7.”

Steve nodded.  “That should be enough time.”

“Whatever,” she tried to say through a yawn.  “Night Steve.”

“Goodnight Darcy.”

She made her way back to her room and quickly undressed, flopping into bed, asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

When she woke up, it was to the smell of toast and pancakes.  Suspiciously, though, not coffee.  She went into the bathroom to wash her face before shuffling out to see about the missing coffee.  When she got to the kitchen, Steve’s back was to her while he flipped a pancake, but he called out, “On the counter.”

She shifted her gaze to the countertop next to her refrigerator and there was a giant Starbucks cup with her name on it.  “I love you,” she said as she pulled the cup close to her face.

“I love you too?” Steve said, amused.

“Not you, the coffee.  But thank you, also Steve.”  He smiled and handed a plate to her.

“Eat up,” he commanded.  “We have things to talk about.”

“Ahhh, so that wasn’t an exhaustion induced dream,” she said as she covered her stack in syrup.  “I don’t actually remember the context, just that there was something we needed to talk about.”

“I didn’t give much context,” he said as he slid his own plate onto the island across from her and sat in a stool.  “Basically, I stayed because I was given a mission of sorts and it includes you.”

Darcy stared at her pancakes as she contemplated what he had just said.  Satisfied that she didn’t have a clue what he was saying, she asked, “What?” before shoving pancake in her mouth.

“I was told I needed to find someone to deal with the image of the Avengers.”

“Why would they ask you to do that?  You know, like, 5 people.”

He bit into a piece of bacon.  “They told all of us to look.  Everyone was supposed to put forward a candidate.”

“Why me?”

“You’re good with people and understand social media.  Plus, all of us that know you like you.”

“Huh.”

“Also, you kind of hate your job.  And I know Thor was going to pick you, so I beat him to it.”

“I have literally no qualifications for this Steve.”

“Will you at least think about it?”

“Sure.  How long do I have?”  He stuffed a bunch of pancake in his mouth and tried to talk around it, but all she her were mumbles.  “What was that?”

He refused to look up at her before saying, “12 hours.”

Darcy put her fork down and calmly looked at Steve, using sheer will to force him to look at her.  When he finally lifted his eyes she stared a moment longer before saying, “What. The. Fuck.”

He slid his hand over the back of his neck.  “I, uh, maybe don’t check my email all that often.  I had actually put forward your name a few weeks ago, and yesterday I saw the email saying they had picked you and that I should get back to them with your answer by the end of the day today.”

Darcy pursed her lips while she thought about what he was saying.  “So let me get this straight.”  She held up her fingers ticking off items.  “First you didn’t tell me you were recommending me for a job.  Then you didn’t check your email for follow up about said job.  Now you’re springing it on me before I leave for work, where, presumably, I will have to quit today if I accept.  Am I right so far?”

“Yes,” he said a bit sheepishly. 

“Do you have, like, a job description or something?” she asked, desperate for something to explain what the hell she was being asked to do.

“Almost all of it is classified, but I can read you what they told us to look for in our suggestion.”

“Fine, yes, do that.”  She had already decided to say yes, because, seriously, fuck Congress, but she wanted Steve to fully feel how unacceptable what he had done was.

Steve pulled out his phone and clicked around a bit until he found what he was looking for.  “Here it is.  Put forward your suggestion for Avengers Media Liaison.  This person must be able to work under pressure and time sensitive conditions.  They must be familiar with social media and be able to give a press conference.  Security clearance is preferred, but an acceptable candidate can be given clearance if theirs is not high enough.  They must work well with difficult personality types, i.e. Stark, and be able to represent the team’s best interest.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

She sipped her coffee and made Steve squirm a bit.  “I have until…5?”  Steve nodded.  “Okay.  Well, I’ll let you know,” she said rising from the island.  “I need to get dressed now.  I still need to go to work.”

“But,” Steve sputtered.

“I said I’ll let you know.  But right now, I need to get ready so I’m not late.”  She took another sip of the coffee.  “Thanks for breakfast,” she called over her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a plot bunny appear today, so if it develops at all, I might have the start of the next story (or maybe a concurrent one?) figured out.


	10. It's Not a Shovel, It's a Taser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just how *did* Steve end up at Spencer's place?

Spencer was enjoying the warmth of his paper tea cup as he walked back up the stairs to his apartment.  He had seen Darcy, they had discussed a date, and now he had tea.  For a day that had seemed like it wanted to eat him alive, things had certainly vastly improved.  As he stepped onto his floor’s landing, he saw a man standing further down the hall.  The large frame looked familiar.  “Steve?”

The man turned to face him.  “Spencer?”

“Darcy’s not in, if you’re looking for her.  I saw her head out about half an hour ago.”

“Yeah, I sent her a text, but she didn’t respond.  I need to talk to her.  I have to stay in town another night and was hoping to crash on her futon again.”

“I don’t know how long she’ll be, but you can stay at my place and wait,” Spencer found himself saying.  He had no idea why he had just made the offer, but there it was, out there for Steve to accept or decline.  (When he really thought about it he knew it was because Steve knew Darcy and he could maybe learn something about her through this time together.)

“Yeah, sure,” Steve said easily, walking over to his door which Spencer promptly opened and waved Steve through. 

“Go ahead and take a seat anywhere.  Can I get you something to drink?”

“Water would be nice,” Steve said as he sat down in the chair Spencer liked to read in at night.  He quickly filled a glass with water and handed it to Steve, taking a seat on the small loveseat opposite him.  He couldn’t think of a thing to say, so he took a sip of his tea that was still hot enough to taste slightly like burning.  “Thanks for letting me hang out here,” Steve said, filling the silence.  “Any idea how long she’ll be out?”

“None,” Spencer said.  It really depended on how things went with Penelope.  She could be back in five minutes or five hours.  He wasn’t sure how forgiving Darcy was willing to be.  “We, uh, didn’t really discuss it.”

“So Darcy said you guys met when you were picking your lock,” Steve said a little too conversationally.

Spencer blushed.  “Uh, yeah.  I had just bought a set of tools and wanted to learn how to use them.”

“Interesting skill set.”

“I’m a…” he paused for a moment debating saying the next words, “..err, amateur magician.”

“Really?” Steve said leaning back.  “You any good?”

“The little kids I show it to seem to like it.”

Steve laughed.  “I guess that’s a yes then.”

“Plus picking a lock just feels like one of those things that would be useful.”

Steve nodded.  “I can think of a time or two when I could have benefited from being able to pick a lock.  Of course, if you can kick down a door, you don’t need to pick it.”  Spencer looked at his legs and thought they looked strong enough to kick in a door.  His, on the other hand, did not.  “SO what do you do?”

“I work for the FBI at the Behavior Analysis Unit.  I specialize in linguistic and geographic profiling.”

“Wow,” Steve said.  His tone betrayed no sarcasm.  He really was impressed by what Spencer did.  That was kind of new.  In the past, others had laughed or questioned that he actually worked for the FBI.  “So what does that mean you do on a daily basis?”

“I help catch serial killers or kidnappers by analyzing locations or speech patterns in order to help pinpoint our profile.  The better we can describe the person, the easier it becomes to find and catch them.”

“Wow.  What kind of training do you need for that?”

“I have three PhDs.”  Steve let out a low whistle.  “What about you?  What do you do?”

“I work security for the government.”

Spencer choked a little on his tea.  No wonder Steve was so built.  “Is that how you and Darcy know each other?”

“Kind of.  We have a friend in common that does similar work that introduced us.”  Steve gave a small, wry smile that Spencer couldn’t totally understand.  “Darcy’s best friend is his girlfriend.  Honestly, I think he might have been trying to set us up, but that was never going to work.”

“No?” Spencer asked, trying to keep from sounding too interested in the answer.

“Nah.  We aren’t really each other’s type.  Though, you seem to be hers.”  Spencer felt his face flush.  “This is probably where I should give you some sort of shovel talk, but instead I’ll just tell you about what Darcy did the first time our mutual friend overstepped.  She tazed him and knocked him right out.  She doesn’t need me to take care of you if you hurt her.  She can do that all on her own.  Now, you don’t seem like the type to intentionally hurt a girl, but I still think it’s good to be warned.”

“Thank you?”  Steve nodded and sipped his water.  They sat like that, in uncomfortable silence for the better part of five minutes before Steve asked him some more questions about his job.  After that, the conversation was a lot more natural, and Spencer found that he really enjoyed the subtle sarcasm that Steve would occasionally put out there.  He could see why Darcy was friends with him.  They got so caught up in the conversation, that when there was a knock at the door, Spencer was startled.  He stood up quickly, tripped over his ottoman, and carefully righted himself before heading to the door. He thought he heard Steve laughing at him, but he wasn’t sure.  He flung open the door to reveal Darcy.

“Darcy!  Hi.”  He shouldn’t have been surprised to see her, but for the life of him, standing there looking at her, he couldn’t remember why.

“Hi.  Is Steve here?” she asked.  He felt himself deflate a touch.  She wasn’t there for him.  “He sent me a text saying he wanted to crash at my place tonight and was here.”  Suddenly he remembered that Steve hadn’t just stopped by for fun; he was waiting for Darcy to come home.

“I’m here Darcy,” Steve called from behind him.  “Just give me a sec to grab my bag.”

“Sooo…”

“Yeah,” he said.  Why couldn’t he think of anything to say?  He should compliment her on her outfit.  She really did look great.  Wait, did he do that earlier?  He couldn’t remember.  Better stick with something they couldn’t have already talked about. “How was drinks with Penelope?”  What was taking Steve so long?  Actually, maybe he didn’t want him to show up just yet.  If he could just figure out what to say, maybe this could be wonderful instead of awkward.

“And JJ,” she said.  He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “It was fine after we got past the awkward talk about lunch.”

“Good,” he said, and then Steve was standing next to him with his bag.

“Shall we?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said through a yawn.  “Let’s go, ya mooch.”  Steve stepped out to the hall and Spencer started to close the door.  “Goodnight,” she called to him with a small wave.

“Goodnight Darcy,” he said. Saying her name felt so perfect.  He imagines saying goodnight to her after walking her home from coffee instead while sending her home with another man.

Steve cleared his throat and shook Spencer from his little daydream.  Darcy turned and led Steve to her door, ushering him in front of her before locking up behind herself.  Once he saw they were both inside, Spencer closed his own door and locked up for the night.  She had looked radiant in the hallway and he couldn’t wait to see her again.

***  
Steve hummed to himself while he made up the futon.  Spencer was a nice guy.  He’d be a nice change of pace from the jerks he had seen Darcy go on dates with before.  If he could get over his intense shyness about Darcy, he might even be fun to hang out with in a group.  Of course, Darcy needed to get her act together and ask him out already.  The poor boy wasn’t going to do it any time soon.  He clearly got tongue tied at the sight of her.  (Steve could relate.  He remembered being that kid once too.)  Hopefully what he was about to tell Darcy wouldn’t make things harder for the two of them.  He really was a romantic at heart, and he thought they could be really good together.  Suddenly an image of Spencer doing a magic routine with Darcy as his assistant entered his mind.  Steve snorted at the thought.  If he was being honest, though, he could totally see that actually happening.  He stripped off his clothes and laid down on the futon.  He needed to find a girl.  Maybe Spencer knew someone.  Maybe one of his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I worked a little bit on the plot bunny last night. I wrote around 2,000 words, but I need to do some more before I can tell if it has staying power. It's very different. It starts out sad (though might not stay that way?), which is not my normal thing, so we'll see if I can make it into something I can sustain.


	11. See You Later, Asshole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy has a busy morning.

Darcy had carefully dressed for work after her discussion with Steve.  As soon as he had told her about the job she knew she was going to take it.  Her current job was nothing like she imagined, and she wasn’t making any sort of difference (which is all she had wanted to do).  While she had very few details, it sounded like this job was going to give her a chance to make a difference.  How the world saw the Avengers was important to their work.  If people didn’t trust or believe in them, then they might be kept from places where they could really help.  It was also going to be a huge challenge.  If the Avengers were needed, there was going to be collateral damage, and quantifying that this loss was terrible but also better than the alternative would be a difficult PR line to toe.  She liked to think she was up for it, though.  She wouldn’t be saving the world herself, but she would be making sure the world knew about it when it happened, and she could certainly be happy with that.

Today was going to be huge; thus the extra care when dressing.  If she was going to quit, she was going to look good while she did it.  First impressions and parting shots always stuck out, so she wanted to make sure the memory of her would be cutting to those it needed to take down a peg.

She came out of the bathroom and Steve let out a low whistle.  “You look like you’re going to stomp on someone’s face and they’re going to say thank you.”

Darcy smiled.  “That’s just what I was going for.”

“So, uh, how long do you think it will take before you have an answer for me?”  His question was surprisingly contrite.  He knew he had fucked up, which was kind of surprising.  She had expected more of a sorry-not-sorry sort of vibe.  That didn’t mean she was going to let him off the hook that easily though.

Darcy simply stared him down.  “I’ll have it when I have it,” she said plucking her purse from the counter.  “And I’ll have it before the 5 PM deadline.  Might not be until 4:59, but I promise you’ll have it on time.”  She grabbed her coat and opened the door.  “I’ll see you later Steve.  Feel free to help yourself to whatever I have.  There’s a spare key in the silverware drawer in case you want to go out.”

“Or I could just ask Spencer to pick the lock for me,” he said a little too smugly for her taste.

“Good luck with that.  He has a job too.  Unlike some people I seem to know.”

She heard Steve say, “Hey!” as she closed the door and headed down to the bus stop a block from her place.  She spent most of her commute imagining different ways to quit, a smile spreading over her face as the scenarios got more and more ridiculous.  By the time she got to work she was in a great mood, something that hadn’t happened since her first week.

When she got to the office, the normal buzz of frenzied movement was humming around her.  She went to the small desk that was hers and started emptying everything that was hers into her purse.  She had very few personal items, so it didn’t take long.  (Though she did nick two pens that she loved that had been supplied to her so she could figure out where to purchase them later.)  She locked her purse in the bottom drawer of the desk, hung her coat over the chair, prepped everything, and went in search of her boss.

“Darcy!  You’re finally here!” He yelled when she found him.  She looked at her phone.  It was still 5 minutes until she was supposed to start.

“Finally here?” She asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes, finally,” the old grouch said.  “I needed you ten minutes ago.”

“Then maybe you should have set my scheduled hours earlier.  Technically I’m still early.”

He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. She had never talked back to him like that before.  “I’m sorry?  Did you just talk back to me?”

“I informed you of the facts.  Now then, was there something I could do for you?”

“I’m going to need you to do a coffee run and then get all the notes copied for the briefing at 9 today.  I also need you to take notes at the morning staff meeting and email them to John.  He’s going to be late this morning and will need them.”

“No,” Darcy said simply.

“No?”

“No.  None of that is in my job description.  Furthermore, I find it ironic that you’d ask me to take notes for John when he’s late, which is something that happens nearly every day, but would act like I had personally inconvenienced you when I wasn’t here 30 minutes early.”  Her boss sputtered, his face getting increasingly red.  “Did you have any tasks for me that actually were part of my job?”

“Now listen here you stupid bitch.  I will end your career for being such an insolent cow!”

Darcy waved her phone in front of his face and ended the recording she had been making, saving it.  “Thanks,” she said not looking up from her phone.  “I’m going to email that little audio clip to HR and ask for some excellent hush money if they aren’t going to fire you.  Either way is a win for me.”  She finally looked up and smiled brightly.  He looked like he might spontaneously combust if that was something that people could do.  “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, “I have things to do.”

He yelled after her, but she didn’t pay attention.  She went back to her desk to grab her purse and coat.  That had actually taken less time than she thought it would.  She picked her way through the office and down the hall to HR where she entered her resignation.  When she alerted them to the email she had sent a few minutes ago, all the hemming and hawing about how she hadn’t given proper notice suddenly died away and they changed to talking about her parting package.  So they’d give her money instead of firing him.  She wished that surprised her, but mostly it just disappointed her.  She looked at her phone as she left the building.  It wasn’t even 10 AM and she was already having a great day.  This called for coffee.  Speaking of coffee…

**Hi Spencer**

**It’s Darcy.**

Hello Darcy

She smiled at her phone when his text came through.  She had it bad, but after such a great morning, she didn’t even care that she was being so obvious.  Her adventure with her boss had emboldened her.  Look what she could do when she wasn’t scared.  She would be scared later, so asking for the date she dearly wanted was going to happen now before she lost her nerve.

**I just wanted to set that coffee date we discussed**

**If you’re still interested that is**

Yes!  Of course!

When do you get off work today?

It made her feel warm all over that he was just as eager to get coffee as she was.  She had just met him, but it felt like she had been waiting forever to actually get to know him.

**I actually just quit, so I’m free whenever.**

**How does your day look?**

I’m sorry, but did you just say you quit your job?

I mean, I can read

But I’m not sure that I read it correctly.

**You read that correctly.**

**I was offered a much better job**

**So I quit**

Wow Darcy!

That’s so exciting!

Can you tell me what the new job is?

Now wasn’t that an interesting question.  She assumed the job was going to be fairly public.  She didn’t see how someone could be the media liaison without everyone knowing, but she wasn’t planning on asking.  She would ask for forgiveness later, if necessary.

**I can tell you**

**But I’d rather do it in person**

My job is very unpredictable

I could say we should meet up today when I get off

But I could just as easily get called into the field and be gone for a week

**Is there a coffee shop in or near your building?**

Yes?

**Then give me a location and a time.**

He sent her the address and she changed directions, heading for the Metro line.  She couldn’t contain her excitement.  New job, potentially a new boyfriend, and certainly a new outlook.  Everything seemed so much brighter now that her terrible job was no longer blocking out the light that life had to offer. 

She should call Jane.  Jane was the perfect person to share this news with.  Except Jane was currently on the top of some mountain in South America without cell service.  Darcy frowned.  She’d send a text and Jane would get back to her when she could.  Steve was great, but there was no substitute for Jane.

Today was going to be life changing.  She could just tell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot Bunny talk: If you're interested just what's up with the plot bunny that took hold of me, [Click here to read about it](http://thestanceyg.tumblr.com/post/155627743191/sneak-peek)


	12. Coffee, Tea, or Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's go on a coffee date!

Spencer looked at his phone, surprised at his own boldness.  He was going to run down to a coffee shop an hour from now to have coffee with Darcy when he probably should be working.  Though, to be fair, he worked incredibly hard every day, and if he squinted, he could kind of see it as taking all those short breaks everyone else seemed to take except all at once. 

So one hour to thoroughly stress over having coffee with Darcy.  That seemed like enough time for a proper freak out.  He pulled the open case folder toward him and stared at it, willing himself to focus on the words on the page.  Instead, though, he thought about the fact that he didn’t actually know what Darcy’s job had been; just that Garcia has said it was something political.  Was she a politician and he didn’t know it?  Was the new job related to a swearing in at a new position?  He rolled the thought around his head.  No.  That seemed unlikely.  She wouldn’t live in his building if she was a politician.  The neighborhood was all wrong.  Besides, most politicians had a certain feel when you met them, and she didn’t seem to have that.

He realized there was very little he actually knew about her.  He had been thinking about getting to know her so long that it felt like he had already done that part, but the reality was he hadn’t.  They didn’t really know each other at all.  That thought almost knocked the breath out of him.  He had been wrapped up in a fantasy with her, and now he was facing the reality.  What if they didn’t really get along at all?  Could his gut instinct really be that completely and totally wrong?  And if it could be, what did that mean about his instinct in other areas, such as his job?  His job where instinct often was used to decide what details to pull at to solve the crimes?  If he couldn’t properly read something as simple as possible mutual compatibility, how could he read something as complex as a crime?  Was that why he had always had problems making friends?  Because he was terrible at reading potential connections to other people?

“Reid!”  He snapped his head up at the stern calling of his name.  “There you are,” Morgan said across from him.  “You okay, man?  You’ve been staring at the same page for a while now and you sort of stopped breathing for a second.”

“Yeah,” he said shaking himself a bit.  “I just got lost in my thoughts.  I think I need to go for a walk.”  He stood up.

“Yeah.  Maybe make it a long one,” Morgan said with concern on his face.  “Don’t come back until you feel like you again, okay?”

“Yeah.  Right.  Okay.”  He grabbed his coat and bag.  “I’ll…be back, I guess.”

“Seriously, take your time.”

Spencer wandered out to the elevator in almost a daze.  Okay, so freak out portion of the day was thoroughly checked off the list.  Next up, Darcy.  Right.  He could do this.

The walk to the coffee shop was fast (which was the point.  He was supposed to be working right now), but it went too quickly.  He didn’t feel like the swarm of insecurity bees in his head were all gone yet.  He debated walking around the block again to help clear them, but he knew it wouldn’t help.  They would leave when they felt like it.  He stepped into the shop and got in line.  He wondered if he should buy Darcy’s coffee.  How would you do that at a place like this?  They weren’t arriving together.  Should he get up and pay for hers when she arrived?  But then they might lose the table?  But not if he left his coat and bag?  But he wasn’t a fan of leaving his belongings in public spaces.  Why was this all so hard?

A movement in his periphery caught his attention.  It was Darcy waving at him.  She was wearing a crisp white button down that was tucked into sharply pressed burgundy pants.  One leg was crossed over the other, and he noticed her pointy looking black heels.  Her hair was pulled back in an elegant twist that a few tendrils were escaping from.  She had a deep red lip and a black pearl necklace.  He couldn’t take his eyes off her.  She looked like she was going to eat him alive and he would love it.

“Ahem,” the person behind him cleared their throat pointedly.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, shuffling forward to the counter and placing his order.  She already had her coffee, so that question had been answered.  He stayed focused on the coffee purchase process otherwise he wouldn’t be able to do this part at all because he’d be lost in looking at Darcy.  Once his coffee was in hand, he took a deep breath and turned to join Darcy.

“Spencer!” She smiled brightly.  She was so gorgeous when she was happy.  He wondered what it would take to keep her happy enough to look this radiant all the time.

“Hi Darcy,” he replied shyly.  “You look lovely.”

“Thank you.  You look a little stressed.”

“I was very nervous on my way here,” he admitted.

She softened a bit around the shoulders.  “Me too.  But now that you’re here I’m just excited.  It feels like we’ve had a chance to get to know each other’s friends but not each other.”

“Let’s fix that.  So you said you quit your job, but I actually don’t know what that was.”

“Oh!  I was a Congressional intern.  Nothing fancy.  And certainly not what I thought it would be.”  Her brow rumpled as she paused to think about her job.  He waited to see if she would go on even though he had an urge to ask her why her job made her look upset.  “Anyway, it wasn’t what I thought it would be, partly because they didn’t have me do what I was hired to do and partly because I was kind of naïve about how it would all be.  But it doesn’t matter because it’s over now.  What about you? I know you work with Penelope and that she works at the FBI, but that’s all I’ve got.”

“Oh, yes.  So we work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit.  Penelope is our tech analyst, which is sort of different from the rest of us because she doesn’t really travel with us.  My job is mainly to analyze linguistic and geographic profiles to help narrow down our suspect pool.”

Darcy looked impressed.  “I didn’t even realize that was a thing.  That’s, I’m going to say amazing, but that doesn’t seem to even cover it.”

He blushed.  “I’m just a smart kid that got an incredible opportunity and did something with it,” he demurred.

She narrowed her eyes a bit and he felt like he was about to be dissected.  “Smart kid?  That feels like something I need more details about.”

“Oh, uhm, I went to college very young.  I have several degrees.”  She raised her eyebrows.  “Okay, three PhDs and a few other degrees.”  Darcy let out a low whistle.  “Getting degrees is just something I’m good at.”

“Sounds like it,” she said with a kind smile that calmed him back down.

“What about your new job?”

“That’s actually why Steve stayed last night.  Like an idiot he didn’t check his email and didn’t realize that he was supposed to offer me a job on behalf of his employer.”

“What could you do for a government security company?”

Darcy snorted.  “Is that what he told you he did?”  Spencer nodded.  “Well, I guess it’s not totally wrong.  Did you…recognize him?  At all?”

“No?  Should I have?”

“Maybe,” she hedged.  He felt tension knotting up his stomach.  “Steve’s last name is Rogers.”

Spencer sat and stared at for her for a second while everything clicked into place.  “Then who was the mutual friend that introduced you?”

“A man with a hammer.”  Spencer nodded, a little too stunned to actually speak.  How was he supposed to compete with a life of Avengers?  “Your face looks like mine did for the first month or so after each introduction.  It’s really not as intense as it sounds.  At least, I don’t think it is.  You said you were a smart kid with an incredible opportunity.  I’m just a lucky kid that was in the wrong place at the right time.”  He didn’t say anything because he didn’t know what to say.  It was a lot to take in.  The fact that Steve Rogers had been in his apartment giving him a shovel talk last night was suddenly very funny, and he burst out laughing.  “Are you okay?”

“It’s just, I told Steve I was an amateur magician and then he gave me a shovel talk last night.  It’s a bit surreal but also so hilariously normal.”

“You’re a magician?” Darcy asked, eyes sparkling.

“Amateur.”

“Awe. Some.”  She sighed.  “Just when I thought you couldn’t be any cuter, there you go.”

“That’s…that’s a positive?”

“Uh, yeah.  You’re going to have to show me some tricks!”

She knew several Avengers and she was going to be working with them, but she still wanted to spend more time with him.  “Want to come over tonight?” he asked, emboldened.

“Yes.  Absolutely.  Please!”

“It’s a date,” he said with a wide smile.  “But I do need to get back to work now.”  He stood up.

“I can’t wait,” she said, standing with him.  “Can I give you a hug goodbye?”

“Sure,” he said putting his coat back down.  She wrapped her arms around him.  She smelled like cinnamon and coffee.  It was a quick hug, but just at the end she went up on her toes and gave a small peck to his cheek. 

“Come get me when you get home.”  He nodded his head, too something (he couldn’t immediately identify the feeling) to speak.  He wasn’t sure how he got back to his desk because he certainly didn’t remember the walk at all.  Instead he had replayed the date in his head.

“You look a lot better,” Morgan said.  “Must have been a good walk.”

“You have no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone that jumped over to my next fic sneak peek and gave me a bit of feedback. I'm still pretty nervous about being able to pull it off, but I'm hopeful that I'll get there pretty soon. I *think* the first chapter will go up sometime late this week.


	13. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy tells Steve she has a date. Craziness ensues.

Darcy watched Spencer leave the coffee shop and couldn’t stop smiling.  He had asked her out again tonight!  A second date!  Well, maybe.  Did this count as a first date?  They had only spent 15 or so minutes together.  She decided it counted if for no other reason than you had to start counting somewhere.  She should…do something.  Make cookies maybe?  Make something to take over to his place tonight.

She was going to his place tonight.  The thought made her a bit giddy.  She looked down at her phone.  If she left now, she could run by the grocery store and be home around two.  That was enough stewing for Steve.  Besides, she was going to make him help make cookies because she wanted to hear about his night with Spencer.  She gathered her things and put her mug in the bus bin.  Only a few hours until she got to see him again.

“Darcy!” Steve exclaimed when she walked into the apartment.  “I didn’t expect you to be home yet.”

She smiled at Steve as she dropped her bags on the island and pulled the pins out of her hair.  “Sorry, they were starting to give me a headache.  When did you expect me to be home?”

Steve shrugged.  “I kind of thought you would make me wait until the very last minute.  It’s what I deserved.”

“It is,” she agreed, “but I need your help making cookies, so here I am.  Let me change and we can talk about it.”

“Is it safe to assume you quit since you’re home early?” he called after her.

“Yes, Steve,” she said, holding onto her bedroom door.  He stood at the other end of the short hallway looking at her.  “I quit.  I’m going to say yes.”  He rushed down the hall and scooped her into his large arms. 

“Thank you thank you thank you,” he said to her hair.

“Steve, you’re crushing me.”

“Sorry,” he said letting her go.  “It’s just, the second choice was kind of terrible and everyone’s going to be so happy that it’s you.”

Darcy blushed.  “That’s sweet of you to say,” she said, embarrassed by the praise.  “But now I really need to change.”

“Right.  Of course.”  She watched him move back to the kitchen before shutting the door.

“Soooo,” he said as she put him to work mixing the thick batter.  She had broken her dinky little hand mixer, but that didn’t matter when she had a super soldier with a spoon.  “Why are we making cookies?”

“I need to have something to take over to Spencer’s place tonight.”  She watched him as she said this.  His eyebrows practically became part of his hairline.

“Is that so?” he asked with a shit-eating grin.  “So you finally got up the nerve to ask him out.  But why his place instead of yours?  Did you invite yourself over there?”

“Keep stirring,” she said as she added chocolate chips.  “And he asked me over.”

“I didn’t think he had it in him to ask you out first.”

“He didn’t.”

“But you just said…”

“I asked him to coffee.  Which we already got.  This morning.  Tonight was his idea.”

Steve had stopped mixing and was staring at her.  Which was fine because the chocolate chips were mixed enough.  She grabbed the bowl from his hands and started scooping spoonfuls onto the baking sheet.  “Why didn’t you lead with that when you came in?” he finally asked.

“Because you wanted to know about the job,” she reminded him.

“Because I didn’t know there was dating going on!”

She shrugged and put the first batch into the oven.  “Can you watch those for me?”

“Why?  What are you doing?”

“Showering.  Duh.  I have a date tonight.”

“But you haven’t given me any details!”

“And you won’t be getting any until I say so.”

“But…”

“Cookies?”

“Yes Darcy,” he said defeated.  She hadn’t expected keeping her meager dating details from him to be a better revenge than making him wait for her job offer answer, but now that she knew it was….

When she stepped out of the shower she heard a rumble of voices in the living room, so she hurried to finish throwing her hair up.  She swiped on some lipstick and mascara and then went to join them.

Spencer’s eyes lit up when he looked at her.  “Darcy!  Hi!”  He was still wearing his work clothes, though he didn’t have his jacket or bag.  He must have come right over after dropping them off, though.

“Hi Spencer,” she said with a bright smile.  “We made cookies for tonight.”

“So Steve was saying.”

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” she said as she went to grab a plate to put some cooled cookies on.

“Not at all,” he said as she stacked.  “It’s only been a minute or two.”

Darcy looked up at Steve.  “I assume you’re staying again tonight?  That you need to take me to wherever tomorrow for briefing and such?”

“Uh, yeah.  If that’s okay.”

“Of course,” she said moving back to where the boys were.  “Shall we?”

Spencer offered her his arm and she gladly hooked hers through.  “Don’t go anywhere,” she called to Steve.  “I’m not taking my key.”

“You two have fun!” Steve called as they walked out the door.

“He’s kind of like an over excited puppy,” Spencer said as he opened his door for her.  His apartment was full of books.  They were everywhere.  There was a cozy leather chair and a small loveseat with a huge ottoman in front of it.  There were planters everywhere making what could have been a stuffy space seem homey.

“He really is,” she said as she unhooked her arm and he shut the door.  “But I don’t want to talk about him.  I want to get to know you.  How was your day?”

“It had some good parts,” he said with a sweet smile.  “What about yours?”

“After the highlight of my morning, I spent my afternoon baking cookies.  I hope you like chocolate chip.”

“I do.  I aslo picked up some Indian food on my way home.  I thought maybe we could have dinner while we talk?  Oh gosh, I didn’t even ask.  You might hate Indian food.  Or be allergic…”

“I love it, and I’m not allergic.”

He sighed and led her to the kitchen where boxes of takeout were sitting on the table.  She added her plate of cookies to the spread, and he pulled out a chair for her.  She hadn’t had anyone do that in, well, ever.  “Oh, looks like there’s something in your hair,” he said.  His finger grazed her ear and she felt a small shiver run down her spine.  The touch was quick, though, as he pulled a daisy from thin air and handed it to her.

She laughed, delighted by the small trick.  “Thank you!” she sighed happily as she accepted the flower.  “Please tell me you have more tricks up your sleeve.”

“Well, not up my sleeve.”  His smile was gorgeous and he was leaning on the table right next to her. She looked at his lips, and suddenly her delight took on a pang of longing.  She leaned in just a touch…

A knock at his door startled both of them apart.  He gave her a curious look before moving to the door.  She followed, vowing to end Steve if he was on the other side.

He flung open the door and was surprised to see Penelope on the other side.  “Oh, you’re here!  Good!”  She said starting to walk in.  “I need to talk to you.”  Once she was past Spencer she realized he wasn’t alone.  “Darcy!  Hi!  Uhh, I didn’t know you were here.  I’ll, err, just….”

“Go to my place,” Darcy said, inspiration suddenly striking her.  “Go hang out at my place.  My friend Steve is over and he’s probably bored.  I’d really appreciate it if you would keep him busy for an hour or so, and then I promise to bring this one with me back over and we can all watch a movie or something.  Doesn’t that sound like fun?”  She was rambling a bit as she all but pushed Penelope out the door and towards hers.  “Steve,” she called.  “I know you can hear me.  Please keep Penelope entertained for a bit, won’t you? You can have some of the cookies I left.”

The door opened and Steve looked over the trio.  “Well hello,” Penelope said, giving him the once over.  Steve, for his part was doing the same. 

“Nice to meet you Miss…?”

“Garcia,” she said, holding out her hand.  “Penelope Garcia.”

He took her hand and lifted it to his mouth to kiss.  “Pleasure to meet you Miss Garcia.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

“Hopefully,” he said as he pulled her into the apartment.  “Take your time,” he called to Darcy and Spencer before closing the door on them.

They both looked at each other and then burst out laughing.  “Did that really just happen?”

“I think it did,” she said with a smile.  She grabbed his hand.  “You heard the man, we can take our time, so let’s go get to know each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you a quick fact about my husband. He's a magician. Has been since we first met when he was 16. He's been paid money to perform at a variety of small venues. He kind of got out of it toward the end of college, but he was starting to get back into it before we moved. Him being a magician was totally A Thing for me. I loved it. Still do. I have definitely encouraged spending money on magic related items in the recent past. And here's the thing: he's shown me how most of his tricks work. And those I don't know for sure, I have enough knowledge that I can make an educated guess. None of this matters: I still friggin love watching magic. Here's why: with good magic you don't care how it's done; you care that you're entertained. And I love a magician that can entertain me, even if it's just one tiny trick that I can do myself.


	14. Sugary Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Spencer get back to their date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My computer charger stopped working, so I had to order a new one. It finally came yesterday, so I was able to get back to writing. Whew!

Spencer led Darcy back to his place, pulling out her chair again.  He was a little upset that their moment earlier had been ruined.  If he wasn’t mistaken, Darcy had loved the small trick with the flower and had been thinking about kissing him.  He had been thinking about kissing her too.  But now the moment wasn’t the same and it was all wrong.  He took the chair opposite her and opened up the takeaway boxes.  “So you never actually told me about your new job, just that it was working with Steve and the others.”  He should just call them the Avengers, but it felt weird.  He knew Steve, so saying she was working with Steve felt a lot more normal than saying she was working with the Avengers. 

“I don’t really know all that much either,” she said as she scooped food onto her plate.  “Basically I’ll be their media liaison.  I’m assuming I’ll be taking care of press statements and their social media accounts.  Maybe prepping them for interviews and speeches.  Other than that, though, I don’t really know.  Steve couldn’t tell me a lot because it was classified, which is dumb because it’s not like ‘media liaison’ is a shadowy sort of job.  It’s going to be pretty obvious what I do.  I can understand that I might be given classified information that I can’t share that will shape my media campaign or whatever, but the job itself?  I think it’s just Shield being controlling because it’s what they’re good at.”

“That sounds like a story.”

“One I don’t think I can share.  I signed a lot of paperwork after that.  But, if I get a chance to introduce you to Thor, he’ll tell you.  I don’t think he’s bound by NDAs, plus, what would they do if he was?  It’s not like the could disappear him.”  Her words had a little more bite than he thought she wanted them to, but it told him enough.  Clearly there had been some serious threats leveled at her, and whatever she had experienced must have been somewhat proportional to their threats.  He was surprised that she was able to be even somewhat casual about something that must have been very intense that she couldn’t seem to talk about.  She probably couldn’t even see a therapist to talk it out because she couldn’t tell them what had happened.  He had very limited experience with Shield, but it was enough to make him uncomfortable.  They seemed to enjoy staying in the grey areas of the law, something that always made him itch a bit.  But the way she was overly blasé about them being controlling and possibly “disappeared” made him wonder what things she had experienced with them.  “My turn to ask a question.  What made you get into magic?”

“I’ve been told it’s something most children, especially young boys, are interested in. But it was a bit more than that for me.  First I was interested in the famous magicians, Carter, Houdini, Cardini; but then it was about my ability to control something.  I was very smart and very young-I wasn’t exactly a popular kid.  But when I did magic, I could control what people saw, make them see what I wanted them too.  And they liked it, and by proxy, me too.  Even if it was just for a minute.”  He suddenly felt more exposed than he liked.  “Plus it’s a lot of fun,” he tacked on, hoping that might downplay what he had just shared.  He wasn’t sure he had ever put his interest so bluntly before.  He looked down at his plate and took a bite just to stop his mouth from word vomiting more.  He could feel Darcy looking at him, but he was too chicken to look up.

“I kind of get that,” Darcy said so quietly he almost missed it.  “I hit puberty pretty early, so I had a similar-ish problem.  People looked at me and saw something that I wasn’t, and I had no control over it.  You used magic to shape perceptions.  I used a loud mouth.  I just talked a big game and wouldn’t shut up.  It turned away a lot of people that might have otherwise been overly interested.  I got really good at knowing the exact thing to say that would make someone turn away.”  She was quiet for a moment and Spencer wondered how he should respond, but then she continued.  “I also got into a few fistfights because of it,” she laughed.  “Now I have a taser.”

“Fistfights?” he asked, trying to picture it.

“Oh man, in seventh grade I got into a giant fight with Tommy Loretto because he just couldn’t shut up about my boobs.  I ended up with a black eye, a bloody nose, and a three-day suspension, but he never talked about me that way again.  I think losing a fight to a girl humbled him a little.  He tried to play it off as letting me win because I was a girl, but his friends were pretty big assholes, as you would expect, and they wouldn’t let it go. What is it with asshole always being friends with assholes and traveling in packs?”

“I don’t know, but at least it made it easier to identify and avoid them.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Darcy said, lifting her water glass in a little toast.  He raised his as well.  “You’re going to have to tell me where you bought this from because this is the best Indian food I’ve had since I moved.”

“But if I tell you, you won’t need to come over to have it.”

“Spencer, I will definitely come over if you ask, Indian food or no.”  He felt himself flush.  “I like you.  I know we’re just getting to know each other, but so far I enjoy spending time with you.  You’re nice, and funny, and pretty cute.”  She turned red and looked down at her plate.  “Sorry if that was too much,” she mumbled.

He couldn’t let her sit there embarrassed.  “No, I feel the same way.  I want to know you more.  You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met, but more importantly you’re a good person.  I’d like to know more about that.”

She lifted her head as he spoke, her red face slowly turning into the most becoming pink.  She tucked a hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ear.  “You know, we’re probably going to end up not being able to spend time together like this again for a while.  I start my new job tomorrow, and I have no idea what to expect.  I don’t know how much time or travel will be involved.  And I remember you saying that you can be called out into the field at any time.  We should take advantage of what we have.”

His mind whirred with the possibilities.  “What do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking we should make some coffee and take it, and these cookies, over there to sit and talk.”  She nodded her head toward the living room.

“Okay,” he said, thinking about sitting next to her, feeling her warmth pressed against his side.  “I’ll get the coffee going.”  He stood up and got to work.  He could hear Darcy behind him boxing up the leftovers.  Once the coffee was brewing, he joined her clearing the table.  They both reached for the same box and their hands brushed.  An excited thrum went through his hand.  He wanted to feel it again, but he focused on finishing clearing the table.  Darcy took the cookie plate and placed it on the ottoman while he got out two mugs.  “Do you take milk and sugar?”

“Yes, both,” she said coming back.  “And before you lecture me, yes, I know that there is sugar in the cookies, and yes I still want some in my coffee too.”

“Why would I judge when I’m putting sugar in my coffee?” He asked with a smile.  She stood next to him at the counter and bumped shoulders with him.

“Fair enough,” she said, smiling herself.  She was close to him again, looking up at him through her eyelashes.  He felt a tightness in his chest at how much he wanted to lean down to her, into her space, but as he thought about it, she was actually doing it, going up on her toes and lightly pressing her lips to his.  He was surprised at first, and then it was over almost as soon as he relaxed.  “Sorry,” she said, pulling her lips between her teeth and looking away.

“Why?”

“You might not have wanted that,” she said, still not looking at him.

He turned fully toward her, and very gently, with one finger, tipped her chin up to look at him.  Once she actually looked up, he very slowly tipped his head toward her, pressing his lips to hers, dropping his hand as their lips met.  He kept it at that, pulling away slowly, the head rush from his daring making him a bit dizzy.  (Or maybe it had been Darcy that had made him dizzy.)  Her eyes fluttered open and sparkled.

“We should do more of that,” she said with a breathy voice.  “But first coffee,” she said as the pot dinged that it was done brewing.

The spell broken, he pulled out the pot and filled their mugs.  It was shaping up to be one of the best night he had ever had.


	15. Let Me Show You How It's Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dates end and then it's time for slumber party talk with Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this little interlude before Darcy moves on to her new job.

Darcy practically skipped back to her apartment.  Of course she didn’t really skip.  For one, Spencer was walking her back to her door and she wasn’t sure if he would skip with her.  For two, she was too busy replaying the sweet kisses they had shared in her head to concentrate on skipping.  If she actually tried to skip, she’d probably fall on her face because she didn’t give it the mental space it needed.  When they got to the door she stopped and turned to him.  He was close to her, his hands hastily tucked into his pockets as they came to a stop.  She looked up at him, ridiculous smile on her face.  “I had a really great time,” she said wistfully.  “And I really hope we can do it again soon.”

“I had a really great time too,” he said looking down, his hair falling into his face just a little.  He went to tuck it back at the same time she did and their hands brushed.  They both gave a little laugh.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight,” she said making no effort to open her door.

“I guess so,” he said, not leaving.

“I’ll let you know what my schedule looks like once I know,” she said, even though they had already talked about that.

“Me too,” he said, and then, realizing that wasn’t quite the right way to phrase it, added, “I mean, I’ll let you know if we’re going out to the field.”

“Right,” she said as she continued to look at him and smile stupidly.  “We should do this again sometime.”

“Absolutely.  I agree.”

“So goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

They both just stood there, smiling at each other for several seconds before the door flew open.  “Oh my God,” Penelope sighed.  “Is this like the in person version of ‘no you hang up’?”  They both jumped apart at her appearance.  “Steve,” she called back into the apartment, “can you help me show these two dorks how to say goodnight?”

Steve, who was apparently just behind her, slipped to her side, giving an amused smile to the pair before looking at Penelope.  “Goodnight Miss Garcia,” he said.

“Goodnight sugar,” she said before Steve dipped his lips to hers and gave her a kiss that was somehow chaste and filthy all at once.  Darcy kind of wanted to record it and study how that was even possible.  When they pulled apart, Penelope smacked his ass before pushing past her and Spencer.  “Call me,” she said as she walked away.  They both stared after Penelope for a minute before Spencer turned to Darcy, the mirth on his face about to spill over.

“I’ll call you,” he got out before they both burst out laughing.  She pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek and then turned to go into her apartment. “Goodnight,” he called to her back through the giggles.  Steve just smirked at her before shutting the door behind them.

“Sooo,” Darcy sang, “how was your night?”

“Just fine, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“That almost sounded like you were taking some credit for how my night went," he said with a small squint as she poured herself a glass of water.

“And why shouldn’t I?  Penelope came over because I sent her over.  So, remind me again, who’s the best friend ever?  Oh, that’s right, me.  You’re welcome.”

“Wait a second, how did this become about my night instead of yours?”

“Oh, it became about that the moment you defiled my date’s friend at my door. So spill.”

“A gentleman never kisses and tells.”

“Yeah, well I don’t see any here,” she said pointedly as she moved over to the couch.  “Also, quick question before I sit.  Do I need to sanitize this first?”

He pressed down on her shoulder with his heavy hand, pushing her to sit.  “Guess it doesn’t matter anymore, now does it?”

“I might hate you.”

“You don’t,” Steve said joining her on the couch.  “Also, there’s not much to tell.  Penelope is a nice woman that I enjoyed speaking with while you were gone for _three hours_.”

“Did you run out of things to talk about?  Because your mouth seemed pretty intimately familiar with hers, and not from talking.”

“Listen Lewis, if we’re going to play this game it’s going to be tit for tat.”

“You want to barter date details.”

“Honestly?  I don’t care.  But you seem interested in my night soo…”

“So goodnight then,” she said standing up with her glass.  “I assume we have an early morning?” she called over her shoulder as she made her way to her bedroom.

“Wait!”  She paused and turned around.  “Are you really going to call my bluff and tell me nothing?”

“Clearly,” she said turning back around.  “See you in the morning.”  She opened her bedroom door, but Steve was right behind her, keeping her from opening it. 

“But Darcy,” he practically whined, “I want to know about your date.”

“Do you now?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I really do.”

“Okay, fine,” she said pushing her door open, “but it has to be slumber party style.  I’m changing into PJs and brushing my teeth.  I’ll be there in 10.  K?”

Steve saluted her.  “You got it!”

More like fifteen minutes later she was sitting on Steve’s futon with her pillow in her lap.  “Okay, so, really, how was your night with Penelope?”

“It was really great.  She’s funny and nice.  Did you know that she runs a grief counseling support group?  And she’s gorgeous.  It was a nice night.”

“Does she know who you are?”

Steve ran his hand over his neck.  “I, uh, don’t think so.  I didn’t tell her and I don’t think she figured it out.”

“Must be the beard.  I really personally think it’s as dumb of a disguise as Clark Kent’s glasses, but apparently it really does work.”

“Enough about my spontaneous date.  What about your actual, planned date?”

Darcy smiled dreamily.  “It was perfect.  He bought Indian food and we ate and then made coffee.  He takes his the same way I do.  And we just sort of talked about everything.  I can’t even remember what all we talked about, but it was just sort of perfect.”

“Did you hold hands too?”  He was making fun of her, but she didn’t care.

“We did.”

Steve groaned.  “You literally had the type of date I would have gone on back in the 40s, and I had the date you would have gone on.”

“And it was lovely.  I really liked every minute of it.”

Steve softened.  “Did you kiss him?”

She nodded.  “And he kissed me too.”  She closed her eyes.  “If I think about it, I can still feel his lips on mine.”

“Okay, that’s where I draw the line.  I’m not that good of a Jane substitute.”

She smacked him with her pillow.  “You’re just as much of a hopeless romantic as me and I will never believe otherwise.”

“Believe what you want, but you should also get to bed.  Tomorrow’s probably going to be a long day.”

“But when I go to sleep I’ll wake up in a day that isn’t the same day that he kissed me,” she pouted.  Okay, so maybe she was laying it on a little bit thick, but it was also true.

“Ugh.  Go.  Get to bed you disgusting bag of mush.”

Darcy sighed.  “Fine.  Goodnight Steve.”

“’Night Darcy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't know, my new (angsty) fic, After I Fall is also posting right now. Chapter 3 will be going up either tonight or tomorrow. It's not my normal fluffy thing, so make sure to read the tags.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! You may or may not know that I had Big News recently. My husband got a job at Purdue, so we're packing up our house and moving in 3 weeks. We currently don't have a place to live, but we're trying not to stress out since we only had a month from the offer to when we want to move. Anyway, a nice chunk of my writing time is now focused on the move, so we're looking at a chapter a week for now. I hope you enjoy!


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